


A Dangerous Mind

by curiousquandry



Category: Batman: Arkham (Video Games)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Arkham Riddler, Dubious Consent, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Murder, Not Sweet Tumblr Riddler, Please be realistic Riddler is a bad dude, Stockholm Syndrome, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-05-05 13:49:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 52,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5377559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiousquandry/pseuds/curiousquandry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edward Nigma (a.k.a. the Riddler) is Ophira Zane's first level nine patient during her short tenure at Arkham Asylum. He proves to be more of a challenge than Ophira expects and soon their lives become intertwined in ways neither expected. Will Ophira survive the Riddler's violent tendencies or end up as another one of his victims?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> The prologue is much different than the chapters that follow. The formal transcript perspective will only be used here. Please leave a comment if you enjoy it, thanks!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places from Batman: Arkham Asylum
> 
> WARNING: THIS EDWARD IS NOT A FLUFFY SWEETHEART. HE IS THE GUY WHO HAPPILY KILLS/MUTILATES PEOPLE TO CHALLENGE BATMAN. Please don't go into this expecting a misunderstood, secretly loving Edward. He's not real. At least not in the Arkham verse.

The following is a transcription from the first interview of Patient #373 (Edward Nigma) and Dr. Ophira Zane

START TRANSCRIPT:

DR. ZANE: This is Dr. Ophira Zane starting the recording of the first interview for Patient #373 Edward Nigma, a.k.a. The Riddler.

The date is Monday, the 26th of November.

This is Mr. Nigma's sixth change of doctor over the last two years. From the notes I have received from his previous doctors he seems to have made no significant progress during his time here. In fact he seems to be becoming more and more cryptic and hostile during his therapy.

Mr. Nigma had been placed in solitary for the last two weeks following an incident involving Patient #478 Jervis Tetch and an argument over quantum physics that resulted in violence. I believe his stay in solitary will make this therapy session very difficult as he has had no human contact over the last two weeks.

[KNOCKING AT DOOR]

AARON CASH: Are you ready to receive your patient Dr. Zane?

[PAPERS SHUFFLING]

DR. ZANE: Yes, Mr. Cash, please bring him in.

[DOOR OPENS]

EDWARD NIGMA: Riddle me this, Cash, what has four legs but cannot run?

AARON CASH: I couldn't give a rats ass, Riddler, now shut up and sit down before I take you back to solitary!

[CASH CLICKS RESTRAINTS INTO PLACE ON CHAIR]

AARON CASH: He is secure, I'll be right outside if he starts getting out of hand. Good luck doctor.

DR. ZANE: Thank you Mr. Cash.

[DOOR CLOSES]

EDWARD NIGMA: Well, well, looks like I have yet another doctor. Honestly, it doesn't surprise me, the last five were complete imbeciles. Do you know the answer to my riddle? Cash is a brute, I'd be surprised if there was anything actually floating around in that cranium of his. But perhaps you are different?

DR. ZANE: I should introduce myself first, my name is Dr. Ophira Zane and from now on I will be your permanent physician. I hope that we will be able to make it far with your therapy. As for your riddle, the answer is a chair.

EDWARD NIGMA: Very good! Although a child could have guessed the answer to that one. Still, better than nothing. However, your hope is misplaced, Ophira. There is nothing wrong with me, I am so intellectually superior to you, and everyone else in this godforsaken city, that the powers that be chose to hide their inadequacies by locking me away in this ruin of an institution.

DR. ZANE: So you don't believe that forcing sixteen people to participate in a chess tournament designed to kill them after one false move was why you were placed here?

EDWARD NIGMA: They couldn't see the intricacies of the plan. I was doing Gotham a FAVOR! Riding this city of the stupidity that plagues it. They should have thanked me! But NO, instead I was interrupted by that flying rodent and his little companion. How could he ruin my plan? I will ruin him, show Gotham what a complete fool their so-called hero is! Mark my words, Ophira.

DR. ZANE: Okay, Mr. Nigma, I can see that this topic has made you quite upset. Lets talk about your incident with Mr. Tetch instead. What happened?

EDWARD NIGMA: Hatter likes to think he is operating on another plane of existence. Everything he says comes straight out of that old book and yet he still has the audacity to try to argue with me about basic science. It's ridiculous and of course he brings up that terrible riddle 'How is a raven like a writing desk?' There's no answer to that! Its nonsensical! I couldn't suffer through anymore of his delusions so I set up a puzzle in his room. It's not my fault he can't figure out a simple physics problem, he deserves those burns for being so stupid.

DR. ZANE: Is that how you justify the violence? By making it a test of intellect so you don't have to feel guilty about maiming or even killing a person? Jervis Tetch is certifiably insane, how could you expect him to answer even a normal question let alone a physics conundrum?

EDWARD NIGMA: You are aiming quite high for your first interview, aren't you? Trying to solve all my 'problems' before lunch time! Oh ho, I wish you luck doctor. Perhaps you are the one who should be sitting in this chair, hmm?

DR. ZANE: Mr. Nigma you are avoiding the question.

EDWARD NIGMA: I give them a CHANCE! I'm not like the Joker or any of the other murderers running around here. Those people were just too dumb to escape. If they focused more on challenging themselves intellectually rather than watching reality television and staring at their phones all day they would've been fine. It's not my fault that they can't be bothered to pick up a book.

DR. ZANE: It sounds like you are very quick to separate yourselves from the rest of the residents here at the asylum. Is there anyone here that you can identify with, have you befriended any of the inmates since your admittance?

EDWARD NIGMA: HA! Befriended? Everyone here is completely gone in the head, even if they have a lick of intelligence it is hidden behind a deranged mind. Anyway, I don't need friends, relationships are for the feeble-minded.

DR. ZANE: I take it that relationships in your life have not been the best. Did you have many friends as a child?

EDWARD NIGMA: I'm am NOT talking about my childhood to some ninny head like you.

DR. ZANE: Mr. Nigma for the therapy to work we must work through some of your issues-

EDWARD NIGMA: Wait, do you actually believe that you will be successful? HA! You are more of an idiot than I thought! You. Can't. Fix. Perfection. And let me remind you, Ophira, I am perfection.

DR. ZANE: Look Mr. Nigma, I want to help you. You have to open up if you are to make any progress.

EDWARD NIGMA: The second I open up to someone like you I will be lobotomized with the mind numbing drugs that will be forced down my throat. I'll spend eternity as a vegetable! No thank you.

DR. ZANE: Mr. Nigma-

EDWARD NIGMA: I have had enough psychoanalysis for today! How about a riddle?

DR. ZANE: We should probably-

EDWARD NIGMA: Riddle me this! What is always coming, but never arrives?

DR. ZANE: Tomorrow.

EDWARD NIGMA: Wow! Look at you, Ophira, two correct riddles. My other doctors always refused to play along, I must be honest I am quite enjoying the change.

DR. ZANE: I'll make a deal with you Mr. Nigma, you can ask me as many riddles as you want during our sessions and in exchange you have to answer a question of my own.

EDWARD NIGMA: Hmm...Well, I suppose I will take your offer on one condition: you will have to answer harder riddles for more...probing questions. Sound like a deal, doctor?

DR. ZANE: That sounds fine Mr. Nigma-

EDWARD NIGMA: You can call me Edward, we might as well be on a first name basis if we are to be intellectual sparring partners.

DR. ZANE: Alright...Edward, I believe we have a deal. It seems that we have run out of time but I will be seeing you again next week. Mr. Cash! The session is over!

END RECORDING

END TRANSCRIPT


	2. CHAPTER ONE

Ophira sighed.

Her first interview with a level nine inmate had just concluded and she couldn't help but feel the stress creeping up into her stiffening neck. She leaned back in her office chair and closed her eyes, contemplating her newest patient.

Edward Nigma was by far the most dangerous person she had ever treated. Over her year at the asylum she had treated many patients with various maladies but Nigma was different. Usually midlevel staff were not allowed to treat level nine patients, especially not the rogues. They were reserved for senior staff who had decades of experience treating severe psychosis. But here she was treating a rogue with only one year on the job.

The last few months had been rough on the asylum, Joker had escaped again and killed three very well liked guards on the way out. Several high level doctors decided that this was their breaking point and finally handed in their resignations. Ophira considered her options after the escape as well but found Arkham the only one that offered student loan forgiveness and a livable wage.

Only another thirteen years until her debt was paid off! Yay.

Ophira opened her eyes and leaned forward over her desk. She rubbed her neck absentmindedly before tapping play on the tape recorder. She liked to revisit her sessions within an hour after they ended and transcribe them. Hard copies suited her better than the tapes, she preferred not having to listen to a sociopath talk about slicing someones hand off like they were discussing dinner. The words tended not to haunt her if they came from the page. She had only learned this a couple months into the job after several weeks of night terrors.

She tapped away at her laptop as she listened to the surprisingly sharp and witty timber of Mr. Nigma. He didn't seem to want help for his condition, even worse he believes that he has no condition at all.

Ophira frowned, what if her deal with Nigma makes his condition worse? Perhaps she should have followed the other psychiatrist's leads and ignored his riddles. But they had had no progress in treating his illness...maybe this was the chance he needed to change? If he could open up to her than she could go farther with his treatment than any one of the other doctors.

Her brows furrowed as she rewound the tape to catch the last minute she had missed. She finished up the transcript and saved it to a flash drive before heading out to the archives to print it. The asylum was still extremely lacking when it came to having readily available technology. Ophira slipped on her fleece jacket before trudging out into the snow that had fallen unrelentingly over the last week. She waved to the guards up in the watchtower (Jim and Terry) as she slowly made her way to Arkham East.

Ophira shivered as she neared the mansion, she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the daunting residence in front of her. She had always hated going to the mansion, there was something unsettling about the place, as if it were home to evil.

"Good morning, Dr. Zane" A gruff voice greeted her in the cold, she turned and saw Jonathan Cho walking up behind her. Ophira smiled at him as he held the mansion's door open for her.

"Thank you, Jonathan. You know you can just call me Ophira, we are friends after all." She tugged at his jacket collar teasingly as she walked inside.

He chuckled and closed the door behind them, removing his guard helmet as he felt the warmth of the mansion greet them.

"I just want to respect all of that schooling you did, didn't you spend nearly half your life earning that title?" Jonathan ambled in front of her, gesturing wildly as he spoke about her schooling. He turned and gave her a winning smile to indicate his teasing.

Ophira rolled her eyes but felt a small tingle in her belly. She had been nursing a crush on Jonathan ever since she had arrived at the asylum. He had been the first one to show her around and it seems that they had been toeing the line between friendly banter and outright flirtation since they first met.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Cho." She winked at him as she turned to go up the stairs and into the archives. Jonathan waved at her as he continued on his own way. Ophira practically skipped up the stairs and found herself in front of the old printer in no time.

Freshly printed transcript in hand she walked quietly down to the foyer, a small smile still gracing her lips. As she reached the final set of stairs before the exit she heard hushed voices from one of the second floor offices. Ophira cocked her head to the left and tried to hear who it was before the second closest door flung open. She started and quickly went down the stairs before throwing a side glance to see who was making all of the commotion. Warden Sharp was glaring adamantly at the door way he had just exited. Someone was standing their, perhaps a senior doctor? Ophira couldn't tell from her glance. She did not want to get caught up in the warden's fury and hurried from the scene and back out into the snow.

What was that about? Warden Sharp barely spent any time at the asylum anymore, his mayoral campaign was in full swing. Ophira glanced back at the mansion and saw the warden slip out of the doorway and head straight for a waiting town car. How odd.

She waved her badge in front of the laser identification system and entered Intensive Treatment. She smiled grimly at the nurse and guards who greeted her. Ophira batted the snow off her jacket before hanging it on the rack by the nurse's station. She took a deep breath.

Nothing like the smell of bleach and government issued soap in the morning.

The Arkham staff always considered the mansion the best place to have an office but Ophira disagreed. Intensive Treatment had everything she needed, besides a printer, plus her office doubled as her therapy session room. She had had the chance to move to the mansion after the senior doctors left but she chose to keep her quaint office.

"What do I have planned for the afternoon, Addy?" Ophira walked up to the reception desk and smiled at the petite lady sitting there.

"Well, you have a lunch date with Bruce Wayne followed by a full shopping spree at Jezebel Center and then an interview with the fabulous Vicky Vale!" The blonde sent her a small smirk and tittered.

"Haha, very funny." Ophira sent her a small glare but giggled nonetheless.

"After your appointment with Mr. Nigma I thought you might have called it quits. Looks like you're still here." Addy glanced up at Ophira, prodding for information about her interview.

"It wasn't that bad. He'll be a tough nut to crack but I have a plan." She sounded more confident than she actually was, Addy seemed convinced and nodded.

"Good, looks like you have a few level three patients after lunch. Nothing you can't handle." Addy handed her the folders for afternoon patients. Ophira thanked her and shuffled up to her office. As she opened the door she stiffened, something was not right. Slowly she poked around her desk looking for anything amiss.

Ophira frowned as she stepped away from the desk, nothing was out of place but she couldn't shake the feeling.

She shook her head and began to study her patients folders.


	3. CHAPTER TWO

"Why is the elevator always broken?" Ophira hissed as she haphazardly leaned her bags of groceries against her door. She dug around her coat's pockets looking for her keys while muttering curses under her breath.

"Hey, gorgeous. Need help?" Ophira closed her eyes in irritation and turned to scowl at her landlord. Billy McNeal gave her a predatory smile that made her stomach turn before scooping up her groceries. His hand brushed against her chest as he grabbed for the bags and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"Oops." He said softly. Ophira raised her shoulders in disgust and turned away from him to unlock her door. She pushed the door open and Billy walked past her to deposit her groceries on the kitchen counter.

"I like what you've done with the place, much classier than the puerto rican that used to live here." Ophira rolled her eyes, could this guy be anymore of an asshole?

"Thanks for the help, I have a lot of work to do so I can't chat." Ophira held her door open, indicating that he should leave.

"Alright, I know you're some hotshot doctor but, uh, if you ever get lonely we could, uh, play doctor if you know what I mean?" Billy smirked at her as he walked out the door.

"Yeah, I will never take you up on that Billy." Ophira shut the door and locked it, sighing in relief.

"Go ahead and play hard to get, bitch." Billy whispered outside the door before lumbering down the hallway to harass someone else.

Ophira grimaced. Billy was actually quite handsome, tall and muscular with baby blue eyes and a shock of red hair but she found him revolting. He had treated her like a piece of meat ever since she moved here. Ophira loved the Cauldron but found the presence of the Irish Mob terrifying. Billy was a midlevel member in the mob, the son of someone important but too dumb to advance any higher. As long as she lived in his apartment building she was safe from the mob's activities but Ophira wasn't so sure she was safe from him.

Shaking off the encounter she put her groceries away and settled into her papasan with her laptop. Tomorrow was her second interview with Mr. Nigma and she wanted to be prepared. She began her research into his past crimes, finding some of his antics hilarious and some deeply disturbing but all of them brilliant. An hour had passed before a thought stuck her, what if she fails his riddles?

Would she be in danger? Ophira nervously went through the first transcript and found nothing about what happens if she fails a riddle. Should she ask him? No. That could be dangerous, he will think that he has the power to do something.

Steeling her nerves she began looking up website after website of riddles and even ordered a few books on amazon. It was nearly two a.m. by the time she decided that she had studied enough and crawled into bed.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Fuck you." Ophira mumbled and slapped the alarm clock off. Slowly she crawled out of bed and into the shower. Her hair was a tangled bird's nest from the fitful sleep she had gotten. Applying a handful of conditioner Ophira flipped her hair forward and began to untangle the curls. After almost a half an hour she stepped out of the shower and began to defuse her dark curls.

"I should just shave my head." Ophira had always considered her hair a blessing and a curse. The wild ringlets that fell to just past her shoulders had always made her stand out. The upkeep was brutal and sometimes she found it to be more taxing than treating a sociopath at Arkham. Her stomach flipped as she remembered her first appointment of the day.

Ophira tried to keep Mr. Nigma off her mind but failed as she drove her old Subaru into the Arkham parking lot. She felt like there was a stone in her stomach as she trudged through the ankle deep snow up to Intensive Treatment.

"You okay? You look beat." Jonathan had appeared at her side.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Mr. Cho." Ophira gestured to the snow packed ground trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey, we both work in different places. This winter wonderland is the only way we can meet. Unless you would like to come visit me at the Penitentiary?" Jonathan smiled at her and raised his brows in jest.

"Nah, I'm sexually harassed enough as it is." She quipped, making sure it sounded as light hearted as possible.

"It must be rough for the ladies here, I can't imagine how Marcy puts up with it." Marcy was an older lady who currently guarded the men at the penitentiary alongside Jonathan.

"She's a tough woman, that's for sure." Ophira patted some snow off Jonathan's shoulder and his eye caught hers. She quickly removed her hand and looked away, feeling somewhat awkward.

"So, uh, I know you're really busy with your patients but maybe we could, you know, grab a bite sometime?" Jonathan rubbed his neck and tried to look casual. Ophira's heart skipped a beat and she snapped her attention to him.

"Jonathan Cho, are you finally asking me on a date?" Ophira couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips.

He stopped walking and laughed.

"Do you enjoy torturing people? Maybe you should be locked up here too." His eyes crinkled in amusement but turned serious as he spoke again, "what do you say?"

"I would love to go out with you." She smiled at him before turning towards the door for Intensive Treatment. "You still have my number don't you? Call me after work and we'll work something out."

He beamed at her and nodded before turning towards the Penitentiary.

Ophira was still smiling as she deposited her coat on the rack and donned her white lab coat.

"Good morning Ophira, are you excited for your interview?" Addy greeted her cheerily from the reception desk.

Ophira's smile dropped and she quickly glanced at her watch. Only ten minutes until her interview with Mr. Nigma.

"Well, I can't say that I'm excited but I'm ready for the challenge." She put on a brave face for Addy and slipped up the stairs to her office.

She cleared her desk of all things considered dangerous when interviewing level nine patients. By the time she was done there was only the small tape recorder left.

Ophira began the recording as the clock hit 9 am.


	4. CHAPTER THREE

"Hello Dr. Zane." Cash nodded to her in greeting as he came through the door. Behind him there were two guards holding my first patient of the day, Edward Nigma.

"Good morning Mr. Cash." Ophira gave him a small smile before he turned to bring Nigma through the door. The Riddler stood just inside the door way as they began removing his hand and leg cuffs. He gave her a wide smile.

"Ah, it's my good doctor. I've been looking forward to our session, I can't wait to figure out just when your feeble mind will succumb to my riddles." He gave a full throated laugh and his eyes twinkled in mirth as he looked across the desk at her.

Ophira didn't respond to his goading, instead offering hellos to the guards now strapping Nigma into his chair.

Nigma's expression changed, souring at the lack of attention from his doctor.

"Alright, we're good here. You got it from here doctor?" Cash asked her gruffly. Ophira nodded and thanked the guards. Cash closed the door with a sharp click and waited outside.

"Good morning, Edward. I hear that you have been staying out of trouble. They are going to release you from solitary soon if you keep it up." Ophira smiled at him across the desk and continued "it pleases me to hear that you have been looking forward to our sessions. Hopefully we will be able to make some real progress. As for your riddles I believe I might surprise you." She gave him a confident look.

Nigma furrowed his brows at her outlandish confidence but barked out a small laugh. His green eyes crinkled in amusement and he smirked at her across the desk.

"Let's not waste any time, Ophira, I made a bet with Two-Face about how long it would take until you failed one of my riddles. I intend to collect." His voice deepened as he said the last sentence, his smooth timber cutting through the air.

Ophira gave him an odd look.

"How did you make a bet with Two-Face when you were in solitary?" Her hazel eyes narrowed at him across the desk. He let out a small chuckle.

"Ah ah ah, my good doctor! Remember our deal?" He grinned wolfishly at her, "Here's your first riddle: if you have them, you want to share them, but when you share them, you no longer have them."

She leaned across the desk towards him, planting her elbows and clasping her hands together.

"I believe secrets is what you're looking for." She gave him a small triumphant smile. Nigma nodded and gave her a small smirk.

"A baboon could have answered that one, Ophira. Don't look so satisfied with yourself." He leaned back in his chair and looked lazily down at her.

Ophira sat upright in her chair. She decided to let the Two-Face question go, she was here to treat him not guard him.

"Today I want to talk about your early years," she faltered a bit as Edward sat bolt upright at the mention of his childhood. "I know it might make you uncomfortable but I believe it's vital for your treatment."

Edward glared at her but said nothing. His face softened into a look of mild irritation and he motioned for her to continue.

"What's your earliest memory?" Ophira taped her fingers against her thighs in anticipation.

"I remember playing with wooden blocks on the carpet in my parent's home. My father worked at a mill so he would bring scrap home for me to play with. That or my father yelling at my mother in a drunken rage." Edward narrowed his eyes at the memory of his incompetent father. Abusive fool. He looked across the table at Ophira who was patiently awaiting another riddle. He smiled at her obedience, any other doctor would have launched into a plethora of questions about his father but here she was, sitting patiently across from him. Better not keep her waiting.

"Riddle me this! If I drink I die, if I eat I'm fine, what am I?" He stretched his hands in the restraints and grasped the arm of the chair in anticipation.

Ophira leaned back in her chair and stared up a the ceiling in thought. Edward watched as her chest rose upward in the action, it wasn't often he had female interaction. He had to admit his doctor was attractive, her delicate features weren't lost on him during the lonely nights in solitary. Edward smirked as he mentally filed the image of her pondering his riddle with an outstretched chest.

Suddenly Ophira sprang forward in her chair to face him. "Is it fire?" She asked hopefully, her eyes wide in playful abandon.

"Well, I am pleasantly surprised. You seem to have more going on up in that head of yours than I thought." Edward leaned forward towards her, studying her face. Ophira's eyebrows twitched at the sudden closeness and sat upright in her chair to increase the distance. A small smirk graced Edward's face but he said nothing as he waiting for her next question.

"What was your mother like Edward?"

The smirk fell from Edward's face. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair before opening his mouth to speak.

"She was a small, quiet woman. Not the brightest but she encouraged me to learn. Terrible taste in men." He added the last part bitterly, his voice growling out the syllables. Ophira nodded and made a mental note of his indifference towards his mother. She looked at him expectantly for the next riddle, her confidence rising after her two successes.

"The next question will be our last Edward, let's up the difficulty." Ophira glanced at the clock, noting the five remaining minutes of their session.

Edward's face broke into a cheshire grin and he raised his eyebrows at her as he leaned across the desk.

"If that's what you desire, Ophira." Her name rolled off his tongue softly, as if he were speaking to a lover. Ophira felt a tingle go up her spine and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Edward quirked his brow at her and winked. Ophira gave him a clinical stare and steeled her nerves under his gaze.

"I'm teary-eyed but never cry. Silver-tongued, but never lie. Double-winged, but never fly. Air-cooled, but never dry. What am I?" Edward let a small smirk grace his face. She'd never be able to figure out this one.

Ophira leaned one of her elbows onto the desk and held her chin. She narrowed her eyes in thought as she worked through the riddle. A minute passed before she lifted her head from her hand. She realized she could see her breath in the small room. The damn heaters in Intensive Treatment were always on the fritz. Ophira glanced over to the small thermometer on the wall and her eyes widened with realization.

"Mercury! It's mercury!" Ophira snapped her attention back to Edward who looked momentarily stunned.

"How did you figure it out?! You must be cheating" He hissed at her and sent her a chilling glare. Ophira gave him a flat stare before pointing to the old-fashioned mercury thermometer on the wall. Edward looked at it for a second and began laughing.

"Looks like you got lucky, Ophira. I can assure you it won't happen again." He said silkily and relaxed into his chair. Ophira resisted the urge to roll her eyes and looked critically at him.

"Edward do you believe your obsessive need for attention is a result of your father's abuse?" She pressed her palms against her thighs and waited for his answer.

Edward's mouth clenched at the question. "My father was a fool, a drunken fool. He hated that his child was intellectually superior to him and always tried to make me out to be the idiot. When I was in grade school I solved this nearly impossible logic puzzle and won a book of riddles and twenty bucks! You think he would be proud but NO!" Edwards restraints strained as he clenched his fists. "No, no, no, he accused me of cheating and beat me for lying." He took a deep breath and glanced at Ophira. Her eyes looked up at him gently.

Ophira looked at him softly. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Edward."

Edward hesitated before leaning back as well and looking at her through hooded eyes. A small smirk tugged across his face.

"Don't be, he was right." Edward winked at her and smiled. Ophira opened her mouth to speak before a sharp rap cut through the office. Cash and his two assistant guards came through the door and greeted her. She nodded and thanked them as they released Edward from the chair and into handcuffs.

"I feel like we made a lot of progress today, Mr. Nigma." Ophira reverted to his formal name to keep face in front of Cash. "Before you leave I must know, how'd your bet turn out?" Her face broke into a wicked grin.

Edward glanced up at her and chuckled lowly.

"I lost." With that Edward was swept out the door by the two guards. Ophira closed the door quietly after biding farewell to Cash and smiled to herself.

"I'll have to thank Harvey for the vote of confidence." Ophira said softly before pressing stop on the tape recorder.


	5. CHAPTER FOUR

"How'd it go this morning?" Harleen asked between mouthfuls of mashed potatoes. Ophira glanced up from her lunch to see the young intern giving her an expectant look.

Ophira shrugged and poked at a stray carrot on her tray.

"It seems like we made some good progress but I have a feeling our sessions won't always be so fruitful. He's certainly a difficult man."

Harleen nodded at her across the table. "I can't wait to get my first high profile patient, I mean I'm really enjoying the basic schitzos but I kinda want a challenge, yah know?" Ophira gave her a nod and sipped on her water. The asylum was becoming extremely understaffed and the chances of an intern receiving a high level patient seemed to get higher everyday. Although anyone in their right mind wouldn't give a high level patient to Harleen Quinzel.

The table creaked as another doctor tucked into lunch beside them. Ophira glanced up from her meal to spot Dr. Kari Eddes slipping into the seat next to her.

"Good morning ladies, how are your appointments coming along?" Kari swept a look over Ophira and Harleen. Kari had recently attained senior doctor status despite only working at the asylum for three years. She had been Ophira's mentor when she had started, taking her under her wing.

"Hey yah Dr. Eddes, my patients seem to be taking a liking to me. Must be my infectious personality." Harleen winked at Kari and giggled. Kari gave her a polite smile before turning to Ophira.

"I've only had one appointment this morning. I think it went well, Harleen and I were just talking about it." Ophira leaned forward onto elbows and tucked her head in her hands. Kari nodded and began spreading dressing over her salad.

"I heard that you have your first level nine patient, Edward Nigma correct?" Kari asked delicately before skewering a chickpea and popping it into her mouth.

She was very protective of Ophira and obviously disliked the idea of such a high profile patient in her care. Ophira had heard that Kari had argued vehemently against the placement but was unable to sway the warden and the other senior doctors.

"Yes, we seem to be making progress." Ophira glanced at her mentor trying to gauge her feelings towards her new patient. Kari's face was neutral but broke into a warm smile as she caught Ophira's gaze.

"I'm happy you feel that way, Ophira. I wish you many more successful sessions." Kari reached out and squeezed Ophira's shoulder. Ophira smiled and turned back to her food, picking through the turkey on her plate.

"Dr. Eddes, how are your sessions with Harvey Dent going?" Harleen asked from across the table. Kari swallowed her last bite and furrowed her brows.

"He's, uh, definitely proving to be a challenge. We've been working together for almost a year and he's had hardly any progress." She looked away from them as she continued quietly "Harvey might be placed with another doctor soon."

Ophira's brows shot up in surprise, usually doctors voluntarily gave up their patients. Edward's last five doctors all left because they couldn't handle his egotistical nature. What could have brought on an involuntary change? Harleen seemed oblivious to the implications of Kari's answer and opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted by her beeper.

"Oh, man! I'm needed in the infirmary, I'll have to catch you guys later." With that Harleen grabbed her tray and proceeded to leave the small lunch room.

Ophira watched her leave then turned to Kari.

"What happened? I didn't know they could do that."

Kari looked around for eavesdroppers and when apparently satisfied leaned in close to Ophira.

"I'm not really sure, something big, maybe illegal, is being tested by the senior staff with the warden's permission. I'm still new so I haven't been entrusted with any of the testing but they seem to be focusing on the level nine patients." Kari whispered lowly, keeping her face very neutral.

Ophira's heart skipped a beat. Her head filled with images of horrible, Jonathan Crane-esque testing on her newest patient. Edward wasn't an upstanding citizen but he didn't deserve something like that.

"You think they're coming for Dent?" Ophira whispered quietly, her colleague nodded and paused as a guard passed their table, her eyes following their movements until they were safely out of range.

"It's not safe to talk here, meet me at Pauli's Diner after work tomorrow." Ophira nodded and Kari pulled away. "I have to get back to my office, I have a meeting with Dr. Whistler at one. Don't tell anyone what I've told you." She gave Ophira a serious look, picked up her tray and quickly left the lunch room.

The rest of Ophira's day went by in a blur and before long she found herself in her small apartment. The news of the patient testing weighed heavily on her mind. What on earth could they be doing? Surely they wouldn't let another Scarecrow incident occur? Ophira shuddered at the thought.

Ophira had been a medical student during Scarecrow's reign of terror, back when he was still known as Professor Crane. She had worked with him in passing but never joined his team of student assistants. She had made the right decision, during her third year of medical school Crane was arrested for testing his fear toxin on both the student assistants and inmates of Arkham Asylum. Ophira still remembered when the officers escorted Crane down the hallway of Gotham State, he had a smile plastered on his face and practically sauntered to the waiting patrol car. Crane reveled in the fear he inspired. Creepy bastard.

The buzzing of her phone shook Ophira from her thoughts. She extracted it from her lab coat and checked the caller i.d.

JONATHAN CHO

Ophira smiled and put the phone to her ear. Butterflies fluttered in her belly, she couldn't help feeling like a schoolgirl.

"Hello Jonathan." She leaned against the edge of her love seat, a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Hey, Doc. I'm calling because I need your professional opinion." Ophira could hear the jest in his words and stifled a laugh.

"Oh yeah? What can I do for you, Mr. Cho?" She said slowly and as seriously as she could.

"So, uh, there's this woman and she's been giving me these signals. I mean I could be crazy but I think she might be into me." Ophira couldn't help herself and let out a laugh.

"Sounds like she might be a little unstable just by her choice in men." Ophira quipped.

Jonathan laughed. "Ah, I thought that might be the case. Too bad, she was pretty cute."

"So you think I'm cute?"

"Hey now, who said this conversation was about you?" Jonathan asked mockingly. Ophira rolled her eyes and sighed into the phone.

"Okay, okay. I think you're pretty damn cute." Jonathan admitted before continuing "so why don't we go grab a Big Belly Burger then head over to the Alibi for a drink after work on friday?"

"That sounds great, Jonathan, I can't wait." Ophira said softly into the phone.

"Awesome! I'll see you on friday." With that they said their goodbyes. Ophira hung up her phone and did a quick spin of joy.

It had been over a year since her last date and Ophira had learned an important lesson on that day; don't ever try online dating in Gotham. But now a real opportunity to connect with someone presented itself. Jonathan made her laugh and he wasn't bad on the eyes. With time they could find even more in common and maybe even start a relationship.

Ophira felt like she was on cloud nine for most of the night until a new message popped up on her laptop. A late night email had been sent to her work address from Dr. Whistler.

RE: MANDATORY PATIENT MEETING FOR E. NIGMA'S SOLITARY RELEASE

Ophira furrowed her brows and opened the email. Whistler had informed her that doctors were required to interview their patients before their release from solitary. Ophira gathered that it was used to determine whether or not they presented risks to the other patients or staff. The meeting was only ten minutes and Ophira could choose anytime to schedule it. She decided to slip it in for the next day, forgoing ten minutes of her lunch so Edward could get a fair shake at returning to his normal cell. No reason to keep him waiting.

Ophira slipped into bed an hour later wondering why she would torture herself by agreeing to interview the Riddler two days in a row.


	6. CHAPTER FIVE

"Motherfu-" Ophira spouted colorfully as she tripped over a large object outside her apartment. She landed on the side of her hip and a sharp pain shot up through her body. She clambered to her feet angrily and rubbed her side trying to ease the pain. Ophira turned to look at the source of her fall and she found Billy McNeal passed out just outside of her door.

"Are you fucking kidding me, again?" She hissed as she scrolled through her contacts to find Mick, Billy's maintenance man. Mick picked up immediately and agreed to come clean Billy up for the second time this month. Why was he always passed out outside her door? Couldn't he go the extra twenty feet to the elevator and get back to his apartment? Ophira huffed and proceeded down to her car.

She was still irritated as she pulled up to the asylum's parking lot and stepped out into the chilly December air. Ophira stomped across the parking lot and up to Intensive Treatment, burying herself in her fleece jacket to fight the cold.

As she passed the threshold into Intensive Treatment she noticed that the inside was surprisingly warm and quickly pulled her layers off. They must have fixed the heaters last night. Ophira thought it would take at least a week before the problem was even acknowledged.

Addy smiled at Ophira as she approached the desk but seemed somewhat more reserved than usual.

"Did you hear?" Addy asked as Ophira reached the desk. Ophira gathered the required envelopes and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Did I hear what?" Ophira glanced around, suddenly aware that it could be about the secret project the warden had put forward.

"Batman brought the Joker back last night! He's in the Infirmary right now. I heard Batman beat him pretty bad." Ophira nodded solemnly, somewhat relieved that it was not about the secret project.

"He deserves it for what happened at the orphanage. Too bad he'll only be here for another couple weeks before he breaks out again." Ophira rolled her eyes and Addy nodded. Arkham was basically a revolving door for the rogues.

Ophira turned to walk up to her office but Addy got up to shove another folder into her hands.

"This is the paperwork for Nigma's solitary release, good luck." Addy spun back to her desk. Ophira stared at the folder in her hands, she had almost forgotten about their small meeting later that day. At least it was a short session. She tucked it neatly in with the other folders and quickly made her way to her small office.

The first half of the day crawled by as she treated her lower level patients. There had been a brief moment of excitement when a patient threatened to pull her head off and do rather unflattering things to her neck after she had asked him about his fifth birthday party. He was subdued by the guards and quickly put into solitary. Other than that her patients were well behaved.

Ophira immersed herself in paperwork until lunch time came around. She picked a small salad and brought it back to her office to eat, not wanting to socialize with the other doctors. Ophira felt a knot twisting in her stomach as her appointment with Edward crawled forward. She was nervous but unsure as to why.

Before long a sharp rap came at her door. Cash called through requesting permission to enter. Ophira opened the door and involuntarily took a step back as she realized how close she had gotten to her patient. Edward was standing centimeters away from the doorframe with Cash and two other guards behind him.

"Oh dear, did I frighten you my good doctor?" Edward said silkily, giving her a smirk and releasing a mirthful chuckle. Ophira turned away from the door to return to her desk and sit down. She watched as Cash and the other guards strapped Edward into the chair restraints. She couldn't help but notice that Edward looked different today. His hair was neatly combed and his face was smooth, emphasizing his strong cheekbones. It must have been shower day today. His green eyes were alive with excitement and they lit up his entire face. Ophira would have found him handsome if she didn't know that he was an egomaniacal murderer.

Edward caught her staring and his smirk intensified but said nothing. Cash gave Ophira a thumbs up to signal that Edward was secured and took his guards to wait outside. As the door shut Edward leaned as far forward as he could, finding himself halfway across the desk. Ophira furrowed her brows at him but did not move.

"See something you like, my dear Ophira?" His smirk turned into a cheshire smile and he raised an eyebrow at her suggestively.

Ophira's eyes widened and then narrowed as she glared at him.

"Edward, this is a poor way to start a solitary release interview." She said critically, keeping her eyes level on his own.

"Oh well, I was quite enjoying it. It's not often that I'm ogled by a beautiful woman in this place." Edward leaned back in his chair and gave her a small smirk. He was taking intense joy out of making her squirm.

"I was not ogling you, Edward." Ophira said indignantly, trying to keep a calm facade. Inside she was panicking at what Edward was implying, it was grossly inappropriate for a doctor to be attracted to their patient.

Edward opened his mouth to say something else but Ophira raised her hand to stop him.

"We can either get the ball rolling on your release or you can sit in solitary for the next few weeks. It's up to you, Edward." Ophira looked at him critically and watched as he shrugged his shoulders and indicated that she should continue. The smirk was still plastered on his face, the smug bastard.

"Since this is a release interview we won't have time for any therapy related questions...or riddles." She glanced up at him from the release forms, the smirk was gone now, replaced by a scowl. They both knew that Ophira had the upper hand in this session, Edward desperately wanted out of solitary.

"I suppose we can forgo our arrangement this time but only this time." His voice was sharp and cut through the air between them. It sounded like a warning, that next time Ophira tried to avoid his riddles there would be hell to pay.

Ophira shifted uncomfortably in her chair and began addressing the solitary release questions. Edward reluctantly played along, having been released from solitary many times before he knew exactly what to say. Ophira could tell that he was reciting exactly what the asylum needed to hear before release but said nothing. She was secretly betting that his release would make their sessions easier. Edward thrived on attention so being isolated from other people for so long could not have been good for his mental health.

Ophira finished filling in the release form and nodded in satisfaction at Edward's answers. She glanced at the clock and saw one minute remaining in their interview.

"Okay Edward, you've done really well today. We still have little time so you may ask me a riddle if you would like." She gave Edward a small smile and watched as his face lit up at the mention of asking a riddle. Ophira desperately wanted to be on Edward's good side so she would put up with the occasional riddle even if it wasn't required.

"Of course I want to ask you a riddle, I am the Riddler!" He said conceitedly letting his smile turn into a smirk as he thought of the appropriate riddle. Ophira mentally rolled her eyes at his cockiness but patiently waited for her riddle.

"I have an easy one for you, dear doctor. What is at the center of gravity?" He leaned forward in his chair, his voice deepening as he recited his riddle. Ophira placed her fingers under her chin as she mulled over the riddle.

"The answer to a riddle is always hidden within the riddle." She mumbled quietly and continued "center of gravity...seven letters, g-r-a-v-i-t-y." Ophira smiled in triumph as she found the answer. She looked up at Edward and saw that his face was completely blank.

"The answer is the letter v." She said quietly, noticing that the atmosphere between them had changed. Edward stared at her for a second before returning to his normal cocky self.

"Well, well. I'm not surprised, that one could have been answered by a four-year-old." Edward said dismissively but gave her a small smile nonetheless. Ophira watched him carefully, confused as to what had happened moments earlier. Edward did not show any signs of returning to the blank face she had seen.

"The senior staff is going to review your application for release and get back to us within 48 hours. It looks pretty hopeful that you will get out. Edward, please try not to get sent back, for both of our sakes." She gave him a serious look. Edward leaned back in his chair and looked down at her lazily.

"Oh, I will try not to, my good doctor."

A knock came at the door and Cash entered, taking Edward away. As soon as the door closed Ophira let herself relax for the first time all day.

"That man is such a mystery." She thought quietly, staring at the chair that he had just occupied.


	7. CHAPTER SIX

The small metal cot squeaked in protest as Edward flopped unceremoniously down upon it.

He couldn't get the memory of Ophira deciphering his riddle out of his head. The moment had triggered a feeling inside of Edward, something he hadn't felt in many years. He had always been perfectly content to be alone, he craved attention, not company, but for a few seconds Ophira had made him long for companionship.

Edward smiled lazily as he thought of his sweet doctor. Every time she answered one of his riddles correctly he couldn't help but become more fond of her. Ophira was the only one in this asylum who wasn't a complete moron and she happened to be his doctor. His beautiful doctor.

His mind wandered to thoughts of what her body looked like underneath her chaste professional attire. She would be so beautiful answering riddles naked, giving him that adorable look of triumph with no clothes on. Edward moaned in longing and the image of her solving his riddle once again crept into his thoughts, this time sending a thrill of excitement up his spine. He slid a hand under the waistband of his briefs seeking to abate his arousal. He let out a long sigh as the stimulation coursed through him.

"You are all mine, Ophira, all mine." He whispered breathily into the night.

.......

Ophira parked her car on Grand Ave and hurried inside Pauli's Diner. She was late for her meeting with Dr. Eddes. Traffic between Miagani island and Bleake island was always terrible during the afternoon but it was too cold to take the train.

Pauli's Diner was nothing special, it had the look and feel of the '50s and probably hadn't been renovated since then. She found Kari quickly, sitting in the far corner booth next to the window. Ophira slipped in the seat across from her.

"Sorry I'm late, traffic is brutal right now." Kari shook her head in dismissal.

"It's probably better not to take the train now anyway, Zsasz has been spotted in Kingston. I'm sure he's looking to make another mark." Kari took a sip of her coffee and looked out the window as if she expected to see him outside. Ophira shivered at the thought.

"I don't know why I didn't just stay in Metropolis after my residency. It's crazy here." Ophira shook her head but Kari laughed.

"You can't escape Gotham, even if you move across the world. It will always be inside of you, calling you home." Kari said cryptically while staring out into the snowy mist that covered the city. Ophira furrowed her brows but said nothing. Kari turned back to face her.

"I asked you to come here because talking in the asylum isn't safe." She paused to look around for anyone who looked familiar before continuing "Sharp is up to something big and Dr. Young seems to be heading the project. You know who her main patient is right?" Ophira nodded, Penelope Young was Bane's doctor. He hadn't been seen in weeks but no one seemed to question his disappearance.

"Do you think his disappearance has anything to do with this project?" Ophira asked softly, suddenly aware of how dangerous this could turn out to be. Kari nodded solemnly and sipped on her coffee before speaking again.

"I think it has everything to do with the project." Kari leaned across the table toward Ophira and opened her mouth to continue but stopped suddenly. Her eyes rested just over Ophira's shoulder and widened slightly, her mouth agape.

"Kari?" Ophira gave her a concerned look, "everything okay?"

"No, we have to leave. Right now." Kari said urgently and slapped a five dollar bill on the table, more than enough to pay for her coffee. "Hide your face from the counter, don't speak." Quickly Kari rose to her feet and hurried toward the door. Ophira followed closely behind but couldn't help but glance at the counter.

A bald man in a white doctor's coat was sipping coffee there and just as Ophira went to look away he caught her gaze. His white teeth flashed at her through his neatly trimmed beard, cold eyes twinkling behind round glasses. Ophira's insides turned to ice under his gaze and she couldn't help but feel the cruelty behind his eyes.

Ophira turned away and pushed out into the snow but felt his cold eyes linger as the door shut between them.

"Who was that?" Ophira asked as soon as both of them were sitting in her car. Kari suggested that they go to Ophira's apartment to avoid eavesdroppers. Kari lived in New Gotham and had taken a cab to Miagani Island to avoid taking the train.

"His name is Hugo Strange, he used to be one of the senior doctors at Arkham but resigned for his own private ambitions. He's still Warden Sharp's personal psychiatrist so he's the last person we want overhearing us." Kari looked at Ophira seriously. Ophira shook her head silently and started the car. The journey to her apartment was shorter compared to earlier. No one actually wanted to return to Bleake Island, just leave.

Before long the two doctors were sitting at Ophira's island sipping tea. Neither of them spoke for a while but Ophira broke the silence.

"So what about Harvey?" Kari sighed into her tea and gave Ophira a weathered look.

"I'm worried about him but if they want to take Harvey there's nothing I can do. No one is going to fight for him, he's a psychopath." Ophira reached over to comfort Kari, she looked like she was about to cry. Ophira couldn't fight the feeling that Kari had more than a doctor-patient relationship with Dent but it was not her place to ask.

"Do you think they'll come for Edward?" Ophira asked softly. Kari raised her head but kept her eyes downcast.

"I don't think they would have given him to you if they believed he was a good test subject. He would have immediately been placed with Dr. Young." Ophira sighed in relief, Edward was safe for now. Kari nodded and looked at her watch.

"I have to get home. Remember, no one else hears about this." Kari gave Ophira a stern look before dialing the number for a cab. Ophira escorted her out a few minutes later and made sure that Kari made it safely from the door of the apartment building to the cab.

.....

It was Thursday afternoon by the time Ophira had heard from the senior staff about Edward's release. She opened the email containing the decision with crossed fingers. Ophira was genuinely pulling for Edward even if he was a pompous ass. She read it quickly and a smile crossed her face. Edward was to be released back into the general population. She honestly hoped that he would steer clear of trouble this time around.

Five minutes after she received the email a guard knocked on her office door. Ophira opened it quickly and saw Jonathan.

"Hey stranger, it's been a while." Jonathan greeted happily. Ophira smiled brightly at him.

"To what do I owe this office visit?" Ophira asked warmly. Jonathan chuckled and patted her arm.

"Don't you know the tradition?" Ophira looked into his brown eyes confused. Jonathan continued "Uh, it's tradition for the doctors to escort their patients back from solitary. I can't believe you've never done that. I'm here to guard your little excursion into the bowels of insanity." Jonathan winked at her and gestured for her to follow him. Ophira grabbed her coat and locked her office door.

"Why is this tradition?" She asked as she followed him down through the security check point. Jonathan shrugged in front of her.

"Why is anything a tradition? Someone does it one time and others see it as symbolic and follow their lead." Jonathan lead her through the maze of cells and finally stopped outside one with a small slit in the steel door.

"Wait, what are you doing in Intensive Treatment? You work in the Penitentiary." Ophira gave him an odd look. Jonathan smiled at her sweetly.

"I wanted to see you of course. I mean I know we're meeting up for dinner tomorrow but I missed being around you so I volunteered." Jonathan began entering the key code for Edward's cell. Ophira smiled shyly and stood back as three other guards prepared to remove Edward from his cell. The steel door opened slowly and revealed Edward standing behind it. He sneered at the guards but gave Ophira a small smirk.

"Alright Mr. Nigma, you are being released from solitary, please turn around and put your hands behind your back." Jonathan slid the cuffs over Edward's wrists and guided him out of the cell.

Jonathan kept his hand securely over Edward's forearm and guided him toward the exit. Edward gave a dramatic sigh and closed his eyes in satisfaction. When he opened them again he gave Ophira lazy stare.

"Good to see you again, doctor." He drawled lazily from her side. Ophira turned and gave him a smile.

"It's good to see you too, Edward." Jonathan gave her a small frown from the other side of Edward but said nothing. "I'm happy you get to return to the general population, I think it will be good for you." Ophira said clinically and waited patiently as Edward was led through the security check. After the all clear was issued they continued their path out of Intensive Treatment.

The cold hit Ophira immediately, luckily she had her fleece jacket to keep her comfortable. Jonathan seemed unfazed by the icy temperature but that was no surprise, he was covered head to toe in the padded guard uniform. Edward, on the other hand, immediately started shivering in the cold air, his thin jumpsuit the only thing keeping him warm.

Ophira immediately put her arm out to comfort Edward and began rubbing his back to keep him warm. Edward's body gave a different kind of shiver from the contact. He savored the feeling of the kind gesture and the warmth of her soft hand. It had been years since he had been touched by a woman. But the contact ended as quickly as it had began. Jonathan had grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. Edward scowled fiercely at the thought of another man touching his doctor. Ophira shot him a confused glance and opened her mouth to speak but the look on Jonathan's face made her pause. He stopped walking and held Edward in place as he gave Ophira a warning look.

"Don't touch the inmates." Ophira furrowed her brows at Jonathan and glared at his back as he dragged Edward forward. His hands tightened over Edward's forearm and Edward couldn't help but give a growl of pain.

"You're hurting him, Jonathan!" Ophira's glared intensified as she caught up with the two of them. Jonathan rolled his eyes and gave Ophira a sour look.

"So what? He's done much worse to the people he's hurt. He doesn't deserve kindness, none of the freaks here do." Ophira's mouth opened in shock and a cold fury welled inside her.

"He's a patient here, you can't treat him like this! Edward needs help not brutality!" Edward raised an eyebrow at her but kept quiet, he was enjoying seeing this buffoon make a fool out of himself in front of his sweet doctor.

"Really, you think you can change him?" Ophira nodded fiercely and began to speak but Jonathan cut her off. "Then you are just a crazy as he is and twice the fool." Jonathan spat viciously. Ophira's face became as cold as a statue as she glared up at him. Edward's teeth began to chatter and the two suddenly remembered he was there. Jonathan pushed him forward roughly and Ophira followed behind, silent as a shadow.

"There you are, you guys certainly took your time. Did you take Nigma on a tour of the island?" Aaron Cash greeted them as they entered the Penitentiary. Ophira gave him a wry smile while edging her way past Jonathan to examine Edward.

"Careful, Ophira, all this attention on me is making your boyfriend jealous." He whispered and smirked at her as she checked him for bruises. Ophira snapped her eyes to his.

"He's not my boyfriend, Edward. He's a brute. And I think this is hardly appropriate for us to be speaking about." She gave him a fierce look. Edward returned her gaze cooly, his smirk remaining firmly in place. He began to rock on his heels as she rubbed the spot where Jonathan had bruised him, his body humming happily at her touch.

His forearms were strong and tenuous under her fingertips, his skin cool to the touch. Ophira studied his spreading bruise carefully but let her eyes wander to examine his long, nimble fingers. Ophira was suddenly thankful that he was facing away from her. Edward didn't miss anything and would certainly find her wandering eyes intriguing. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as Cash approached.

"Cho is heading back to his assigned cell block, I'll take Nigma from here." Ophira nodded at him and watched from behind safety glass as Edward was placed into his old cell. She gave Edward a small wave before turning to leave.

Ophira trudged through the snow back to Intensive Treatment but was stopped when a hand grasped her shoulder. She spun to face Jonathan.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I was being an ass." Jonathan gave her a sheepish look. "Are we still on for friday night?"

Ophira couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he was being. Jonathan stared at her utterly confused.

"Are you- are you fucking kidding me right now?" She said between laughs. Jonathan's face sported an uncertain smile. Ophira's expression turned to ice at the sight.

"You're an insufferable asshole, I'm just thankful that you showed it before I had the misfortune of dating you." She spat at him angrily. "I take my job seriously and I don't appreciate violence, especially from people in power. You're just a bully, Jonathan, and if I ever hear anything about you abusing one of my patients again I will make sure you won't step foot on this island ever again." With that she turned on her heel and headed straight back to her office, leaving a very confused Jonathan in her wake.


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

Ophira leapt from her love seat and grabbed her phone. She took one look at the caller i.d. and tossed it back onto her desk in disgust.

Ophira had avoided Jonathan since their blowout and was currently completely ignoring his phone calls. Ophira had decided that whatever connection they had had before was now lost and there was no point in trying to rekindle a relationship. Instead she completely immersed herself in her work, studying hard for her next interview with Edward. She had put in a request to interview Edward twice a week, deciding that with the added element of riddles one session would not been enough.

A knock at her door shook her from her thoughts. Ophira padded over to the peephole and looked out, Billy McNeal was standing just outside with what looked like a small box in his hand. Ophira rested her head against the door in exasperation before reaching for the taser on her small side table. She held the small weapon behind her as she opened the door.

"What can I do for you Billy?" She asked curtly. Billy gave her a crooked smile and held out the small package.

"This was left at your door earlier but I picked it up to keep it safe until you go home." Ophira narrowed her eyes at him but took the package. The cardboard box was light in her hands and there was no packaging receipt on it to indicate its origin.

"Thank you, Billy." Billy opened his mouth to speak but Ophira closed the door with a snap and locked it. She dug through her kitchen drawers to find her box cutter and slit the packing tape open. Inside was simple bubble wrap covering a small wooden box. Ophira gently removed the box and heard something move around as she picked it up. She brought it over to her coffee table and clicked a small tab on the side. The wooden top sprung out of the way and revealed what seemed to be pieces to a wooden logic puzzle.

Ophira looked at the puzzle quizzically, where on earth did it come from? Quickly she grabbed her laptop and checked her Amazon purchases but didn't find it there. She shrugged and began piecing the logic puzzle together.

Hours passed and she still hadn't found the secret to the wooden conundrum. Ophira decided to return to it later and readied herself for bed.

.......

Christmas music blasted out of nearly every station on the radio reminding her that the holidays were just around the corner. Ophira couldn't care less, Christmas had always been hard for her growing up. Her mother blew all the families money on her heroin addiction causing her father to try and steal gifts for Ophira. More often than not her father spent the next few weeks in jail after being caught and when released blamed his worthless daughter for making his life hard.

Ophira slapped the radio off and sat in silence for the rest of the journey to Arkham. She shook thoughts of her family off and focused on the topic she would ask Edward about later that morning. Ophira wanted to focus on relationships, nonromantic and romantic alike, hoping his answers would shed light on treatment options to cure his delusions of grandeur and egomania. Edward was definitely not the most personable man she had ever met and Ophira was concerned that his lack of connections was only contributing to his ailments.

She parked her car in the freshly plowed parking lot and struggled not to slip as she headed for Intensive Treatment. The snow had deepened over the last few days and now over a foot of hard packed ice covered the ground. Ophira was thankful for her knee-high boots that protected her from the snow and sent a smile to the poor guards manning the watch towers. Slowly she climbed the steps to Intensive Treatment and went inside.

Addy had a phone pressed to her ear and seemed to be in a serious conversation, completely looking past Ophira as she gathered her paperwork for the day.

"Must be important." Ophira mused as she walked to her office. As she stepped through the door she noticed that something was missing, the small emerald scarf she kept on the wall for chilly days was gone. Ophira checked the areas around the missing article but did not find it. Nothing else in the office seemed to have been misplaced.

"Maybe I took it home and forgot about it?" Ophira furrowed her brows at the thought. She could have sworn it had been here on Friday. A sharp knock shook her from her thoughts and Ophira slowly opened the door to let Cash and Edward in.

"Good morning." Ophira greeted them both with a smile. Cash gave her a nod in greeting and removed Edward's handcuffs and motioned for him to sit down. Edward plopped down into the seat jovially, Ophira noticed that he was in exceptional spirits today.

"Alright, now that Mr. Nigma has been released from solitary we will no longer restrain him in his sessions. If he starts getting out of hand yell for us and we will take care of him. You okay with that doctor?" Cash gave her a serious look. Ophira nodded in understanding and Cash turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

Edward stretched his arms forward and over his head as if to test his freedom. He gave Ophira a sharp smile as she sat down across from him.

"I take it that your little rendezvous with Officer Cho didn't work out?" He asked silkily, his face twisted into a smug look. He steepled his fingers and watched with satisfaction as Ophira's mouth dropped open in shock.

"How did you know about that, Edward?" She asked sharply, leaning toward him. He gave her an appraising look.

"One hears things, my dear Ophira." Edward smirked at her and leaned back in his chair. Ophira sent him a chilling glare, balling her fists beneath the desk. She took a deep breath and refocused herself.

"We're not here to discuss my life, Edward." Edward sent her a lazy smile followed by a shrug of his shoulders.

"He was a buffoon, you dodged a bullet by calling it off." Ophira opened her mouth to object but Edward continued sharply over her "but I suppose we're here to talk about me, not your pitiful love life." He received a sharp glare in return for his jab and his smirk only widened.

"You're right Edward, today we're going to be discussing your love life, if there's anything to discuss." Ophira said cooly. Edward's eyes widened at her, the smirk slipping from his face only to be replaced by a genuine smile.

"I suppose I deserved that." He chuckled quietly and narrowed his eyes at her in amusement. "Ready for your first riddle?" Ophira nodded at him across the desk, eager to steer the conversation away from herself.

"An easy one to start, my dear; what has three feet but cannot walk?" Edward leaned forward toward her, clasping his hands together in his lap. His eyes danced with excitement as she processed his riddle.

Ophira faced the ceiling and closed her eyes in thought.

"Three feet, a stool maybe? No, stools could have four feet. Three feet, feet, feet. Feet as in measurement? A yard is three feet so the answer must be...a yardstick!" She said the answer loudly and opened her eyes to see Edward leaning forward over the desk. He gave her a smile of endearment across the desk and nodded gently.

"You are correct, my dear Ophira." He spoke as if to a lover, his eyes narrowed in pleasure. Ophira couldn't help but give a shiver of excitement at the tone of his voice. The thought of what that silky voice could do to her in the privacy of her bedroom creeped into her mind and the shiver intensified. Ophira took a sharp breath in as she remembered who he was.

"What is wrong with me?" She thought to herself, shocked at her sudden burst of attraction for Edward. She steeled her nerves and met his eyes once again, this time they were full of badly hidden curiosity.

"Something wrong, Ophira?" He asked softly, one eyebrow arched in intrigue. His green eyes danced over her face and studied her now neutral expression.

"No, no. I'm fine, let's continue. We'll begin with your romantic history, how many partners have you had and were they male or female? And by partners it can be any kind of connection, whether purely physical or more romantic." She watched him carefully over the desk, leaning on her elbows to get closer.

"All of my partners were female and none of them were romantic. I've never met a woman worth courting but even a genius is only a man when it comes down to basic needs." Edward said flippantly, leaning back in his chair.

"And how many women have you been with?" Ophira repeated clinically watching him readjust in his seat.

"Hmm, eight I believe, many of them were one night stands but a few became longer arrangements." He winked at Ophira across the desk and gave her a sly smile. "They must have appreciated my particular talents in bed."

Ophira felt heat enter her cheeks and looked away from Edward's suggestive stare. She reached down for her water bottle and took a long sip before facing him again. She cleared her throat and motioned for Edward to ask her another riddle.

"Alone I am 24th, with a friend I am 20. Another friend and I am unclean. What am I?" Ophira leaned toward him and eyed him narrowly as she thought through this riddle. She quietly pondered for over a minute before she had a breakthrough and laughed at the crassness of the riddle.

"It's the letter x. The 24th letter in the alphabet, two x's make 20 in roman numerals and three x's make the international symbol for smut." She smiled at him over the desk. "You almost had me, Eddy."

Edward stiffened at the nickname and then gave her a devious grin and placed his hands on the desk. "'Eddy'? My, my, doctor. One would almost think we we're friends." He leaned toward her but she did not move. Instead she placed a small hand over one of his, making him flinch in surprise.

Ophira squeezed his hand gently and then pulled away. "I hope that we are on our way to becoming friends, Edward. It's very important that you receive treatment for your illness and I don't think we can do that without some form of trust between us." She gave him a soft smile. Edward stared at her dumbfounded but Ophira left no time for him to gather his thoughts.

"Now Edward, did have many friends when you were growing up?" She asked softly, giving him a clinical gaze. Edward narrowed his brows at the question.

"No, I didn't. I was what many would consider a nerd, last on the popularity food chain. Girls didn't talk to me and boys frequently harassed me. There was even a ring leader for the 'Let's Torment Eddy Club' and recently we caught up." Ophira raised her brows at him, encouraging him to continue. "Let's just say he didn't appreciate puzzles as much as I did, poor thing couldn't even make it through the first room before he expired." Edward sent Ophira a chilling smile. "It was too bad, I wanted to prolong his suffering, just as he had done to me." He spit out the last sentence in fury, his eyes narrowed in memory.

"You killed your childhood bully?" Ophira asked him quietly, giving him space to calm down.

Edward gave her a narrow glare. "Had he ever cared to pick up a book instead of a football maybe he wouldn't have died." The words were cold as ice as they left his mouth.

Ophira's brows narrowed at Edward's cruel words. He refused to take responsibility for his victim's deaths, something they would have to discuss at length in another session.

"We'll have to talk about this more later, our session is about to end." Ophira straightened in her seat and looked at Edward evenly. "The botanical gardens have been opened to supervised visits, I thought you might like to stretch your legs and see something besides the inside of the asylum. I have us scheduled for Wednesday afternoon so be prepared. The gardens are exceptionally beautiful for the winter time." She sent him a small smile.

Edward nodded silently, still mulling his miserable childhood.

"It was a good session, Edward. I feel like we've made a lot of progress so far. I'll see you at the gardens on Wednesday." She opened to door to allow Cash in. He collected Edward and led him back to his cell.

When the door to his cell snapped shut Edward pulled the small green scarf from beneath his pillow, feeling the material glide through his fingertips like water. He pressed it delicately to his nose, inhaling the smell of musty books and something uniquely feminine. The smell of his Ophira.


	9. CHAPTER EIGHT

"The botanical gardens? Are you sure you want to take him there so soon?" Kari walked beside Ophira on their way to the mansion.

"It'll be fine, Edward's always been nonviolent towards the staff. I doubt we'll have a problem. Plus Cash said he would be escort us, he's the most experienced guard here." Ophira held the door for Kari as they passed inside the mansion.

"That makes me feel a bit better but please, please be safe. Arkham has a terrible track record for staff injuries and fatalities." Kari gave her a stern look and turned to head up to her office. Ophira split in the opposite direction and wound her way up to the archives mulling over Kari's words.

Kari had the right to be anxious, an escape attempt was overdue and they both couldn't shake the feeling that this was the calm before the storm. The patients had been unusually cooperative for the last month, many of the staff believed the bad weather prevented people from wanting to escape. Spring and summer definitely saw more breakout attempts but this winter had been unusually quiet.

Ophira shook her head and began printing her recent patient transcripts. She had the first hour of the morning off since her appointment with Edward was moved to the afternoon. She had been avoiding going to the mansion for over a week so now she had to catch up on printing at least ten transcripts.

Ophira leaned against the printer and fiddled with her hair as the machine whirled away. A small cough interrupted her thoughts. Ophira turned toward the source and spotted a familiar bald head. Hugo Strange.

"Oh, hello. Do you need to use this? I can stop it..." Ophira trailed off as Strange's face broke into a wide grin.

"No, no, I was just taking a stroll through the mansion. I don't believe we have met..." Strange glanced at her doctor's coat and spotted her last name "Dr. Zane, I'm Hugo Strange. I used to work here but I've never seen your face." He raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"I started only a year back. We must have just missed each other." Ophira gave him a polite smile. Something about him was very intimidating and she couldn't help but think of Kari's reaction to seeing him at the diner.

"Ah, that explains it." Strange walked around the printer and delicately picked up a page and scanned it. "Transcripts? You must write these yourself. Very dedicated to your work, I'm impressed." Gently he placed the paper back in its proper place and gave Ophira a small smile through his beard. "If you are ever in need of another job I have plenty of openings at my next project. I could use someone with your type of dedication." He reached into his coat and pulled out a business card and held it out to her. Ophira took the card gently and placed it within her own coat.

"I'm pretty settled here but thank you." Strange nodded at her and sighed.

"Well, I have to get to my next appointment but it has been very nice to meet you, Ophira. Hopefully we will meet again soon." With that Strange turned to leave.

"How did he know my first name?" Ophira thought and felt a chill run up her spine, vowing to avoid Strange at all costs. She shook her head and gathered her transcripts, exiting the mansion quickly to avoid another run in with the bald man.

.........

"Hello, Dr. Zane." Cash greeted her gruffly from the entrance to the gardens. Ophira sent him a smile and wave.

"Hello, Mr. Cash. Is Mr. Nigma already inside?" Cash nodded and lead her through the door.

"He's being fitted with a tracker incase anything happens. You've noticed how quiet it's been around here, haven't you?" Ophira nodded and looked at Cash.

"Are you worried?" Cash sighed and nodded.

"I can't shake the feeling that something big is going to happen but we're taking all the special precautions. Nothing is getting past us." Ophira gave him a small smile of reassurance and stepped into the entrance hall.

Edward was facing the opposite direction and rocking on his heels.

"Good afternoon, Edward. Are you ready for to see the gardens?" Ophira walked in front of him and gave him a bright smile.

"Hello, my dear doctor. I would count myself very fortunate that I get to experience the gardens with such a ravishing woman." His trademark smirk crossed his face and he winked at her. Ophira stiffened at his obvious flirtation and glanced to see if Cash had witnessed but he seemed distracted by issuing orders to the other guards. He must have felt her eyes on him because soon he was by their side.

"Alright, let's get started." Cash motioned for them to go into the right door. As soon as Ophira stepped inside she was suddenly surrounded by the thick humidity of the room. She shed her doctor's coat and left it on the rack on the wall. Still warm she rolled up the sleeves of her white button down shirt and returned to Edward's side. Cash remained at the entrance of the room, watching them diligently.

"Too warm for you, Ophira?" Edward whispered as he crouched to look at a succulent.

"I don't do well in humidity." Ophira could already feel her hair growing in size from the water in the air. Edward chuckled and fingered the delicate stems of the green plant. He stood and faced her.

"Care for a riddle?" Edward asked as if Ophira had a choice in the matter. She nodded and motioned for him to speak. Edward circled her like a shark as he spoke, observing her from all angles.

"You bury me when I'm alive and dig me up only when I die, what am I?" He watched her expectantly with his green eyes, his mouth pulled into a smirk. Ophira rolled her eyes and gave him a dry look.

"Do you have riddle for every occasion? The answer is a plant." She gave him a wry smile before turning to examine a small palm tree. Edward closed the distance between them, suddenly standing very close.

"I've been going too easy on you, my dear." Ophira stiffened at the pet name but Edward continued "We'll have to make our little game harder. I have only barely scratched the surface on the ways I could test that mind of yours." Edward said silkily, his voice deepening. He was so close that she could feel his breath near her ear. She inhaled shallowly as Edward gently placed his hand on her shoulder, his skin burning through the thin material of her blouse.

"No touching Nigma!" Cash called from across the room. Edward sent him a scowl but removed his hand. Ophira exhaled quietly, wondering what had just occurred between them.

"Mouth breathing fool." Edward whispered crossly, his eyes narrowed in hostility. Ophira shot him a small look of disapproval at the insult. She opened her mouth to tell Edward off but a small tremor stopped her.

"Did you-did you feel that?" She asked Edward quietly. He nodded with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Gotham has always been subject to earthquakes, Ophira." Edward was seriously doubting the integrity of the garden's walls and walked to the middle of the room.

Suddenly a roar echoed through the halls of the gardens. Ophira yelped and looked around for the source of the noise. Another tremor shook the ground and soon they could hear the shouts of guards outside. Something was in the main hallway wreaking havoc.

Cash was speaking quickly over the small receiver on his shoulder. The power cut out in the room and the only light that peaked through was from the snow covered glass above them.

"NIGMA, if you move I will SHOOT you." Cash whispered harshly across the room, Edward sent him a glare but stood very still with his hands up. Cash motioned for Ophira to cross the room over to him but just as she passed Edward the door crashed to the floor and she ducked for cover. A great scaly mass laid upon the metal door before its growls cut through the room. Killer Croc scrambled to his feet immediately and let out a roar of fury.

"Tick tock." He whispered menacingly before noticing Cash just to the right of the doorway. Cash struggled to get on his feet.

"Stand down Croc, or I'll put a bullet right between your eyes!" He pointed his rifle at Croc. The room was very silent for a few moments but a wicked sound came from Waylon. He was laughing.

"I've been waiting to taste your flesh for a long time, Cash." Aaron went to pull the trigger but Croc was too fast and batted the gun away as if it were a toy. There was an awful scream and a crunch as Waylon ripped off the lower half of Cash's arm. Ophira opened her mouth to scream but a strong hand clamped over it.

"We have to move or we're going to be next." Edward was pressed flush behind her and had whispered directly into her ear. Ophira nodded and Edward removed his hand, motioning for her to follow him to a near by grate. She glanced at Croc and saw him ripping pieces of Cash's forearm off with his teeth. She gagged in horror and revulsion and turned away.

Edward quickly took the grate's cover off and motioned for her to go in first. She slid in and crawled forward as quietly as she could, she could hear Edward moving in behind her. The room had gotten quiet, too quiet.

"I smell a sweet little doctor. Do you know how long it's been since I've eaten a woman? Their skin is so tender compared to a mans. Plus, you get to play with them a little first." Croc gave out a coarse chuckle. "You can't hide from me, I've got your scent!" He roared into the room and began sniffing the air for her smell.

They reached a bend in the ventilation system before the air duct went straight up. They could move no further but had enough room to sit up. Ophira squeezed herself into the corner, terrified that Croc would find her. Edward was forced to press himself against her from the lack of space, their bodies mashed together. He could feel her shaking next to him.

Edward lifted her chin with his hands to make her look into his eyes. Silently, he put a finger to his mouth to indicate that they needed to be absolutely quiet. She leaned in closer to him, seeking protection from the horror that was ripping through the garden only feet away. Edward's brows raised in surprise, he had never comforted someone like this before, in fact he usually chose times like these to openly mock their stupidity before they met their unfortunate end.

Croc tore through the room, uprooting everything in his path. He growled in frustration, he knew he could smell her but where was she? He sniffed and followed his nose to the small vent on the left side of the room. Croc leaned down and looked inside and saw nothing but his nose picked up the unmistakable scent of the female he was after.

"I know you're in there, little one. Come out and play with Croc, I can't promise you'll enjoy it but I certainly will." Croc reached inside the vent trying to grab at anything he could. He was too big to fit inside. "I'll tell you what, I'll eat your brain first, that way you don't have to feel anything besides me cracking your skull." He whispered menacingly through the vent.

"We found him! He's in the tropical room!" Croc withdrew from the grate and stood quickly, roaring at the guards in the doorway. Shots rang out but were quickly silenced, the room rumbled as Croc charged at the guards and chased them out of the room.

Edward leaned quietly over to look out of the vent, Croc was gone for the time being. The alarm had been sounded throughout the asylum so it wouldn't be long before things were put under control again. Satisfied that Croc wasn't an immediate danger, he leaned back into the corner and set his chin on top of Ophira's head, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair.

Suddenly the unmistakable buzz of Croc's shock collar filled the gardens and the sound of his growls of pain echoed. Croc was under control. Edward looked down at his poor doctor, she was huddled into his chest, still shaking. He placed his arms around her in an embrace.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, the beast is gone." Edward whispered into her ear. Ophira raised her head and looked into his eyes.

"What about Cash?" Ophira said, fearing the worst.

"He's probably dead." Edward said flippantly, he couldn't care less about Cash.

Ophira pushed him off of her and started crawling over him to exit the vent. Edward raised his brows in surprise.

"Where are you going? There could be others!" Edward whispered frantically after her as her ankle grazed his chin.

"I can't let him die, he has a family Edward!" Ophira popped out of the vent and ran over to where Cash laid. The stink of blood filled the small room, a small puddle had formed next to Cash's mutilated arm. She ripped the tie off her doctors coats and used it as a tourniquet on his upper arm. His body was pale from all the blood he'd lost and he was completely unresponsive.

Ophira grabbed the small radio on his jacket and prayed that it still worked. She called out on the radio for immediate medical attention and quickly got a response. She sighed in relief, as long as they could get Cash over to the Medical Center within a few minutes he would be fine, besides missing half an arm.

Ophira got on her feet to look around, everything in the room was destroyed, even the benches had been ripped from the ground and were now kindling against the walls. Edward had extracted himself from the vent and was looking curiously around the room.

"That animal can do a lot of damage, I'll give him that." Ophira nodded numbly and heard the clatter of boots crash through the main door, soon several guards were loading Cash onto a stretcher.

"Hands up Nigma!" Frank Boles pointed his gun at Edward as he entered the room. Ophira watched Frank carefully, he was known for having a loose trigger finger. Edward complied and dropped to his knees. Frank ran behind him and handcuffed him, roughly dragging him back on his feet.

"He had nothing to do with this, Frank." Ophira called out to him. "You don't need to be so rough." Frank sent her a glare before handing Nigma over to a couple of younger guards. He walked up to Ophira and leaned it close.

"You know, you're getting quite the reputation around here. Some people are saying that you're a little too close with your patients, doc." He whispered menacingly into her hear and leaned back to give her a leer. Ophira blanched and sent Frank a frosty glare.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Boles." She said coldly and turned away from him, her heart stammering frantically at the accusation. Frank gave a derisive chuckle and walked away.

Ophira could only think of one person in the asylum who would spread such a rumor.

Jonathan.


	10. CHAPTER NINE

"We're putting you on temporary paid leave. It's for your own good after what happened at the gardens." Warden Sharp gave Ophira an even look across the mahogany desk. "The asylum will pay for any counseling services you need to recover from the traumatic experience."

Ophira stared at him in disbelief. "How long will I be gone? I have patients I need to treat, I can't just abandon them!" Sharp narrowed his eyes at her tone.

"The minimum length of leave is one week but the senior staff has recommended two weeks for your particular case." Ophira opened her mouth in shock.

"Two weeks?! Warden Sharp there's no way I can afford to be away from my patients for two weeks."

"I'm sorry but this is for your own good. You can't treat anyone if you're not well yourself." Sharp waved the guards forward to escort Ophira out. She stood quietly, silently glaring at the warden in protest.

"Oh and since I won't see you have happy new year, Dr. Zane." Ophira shook her head in disbelief and walked out of the office.

.......

"Two weeks off? Sounds like a good deal to me, especially during the holidays." Harleen watched as Ophira gathered her most recent transcripts to put in a box.

"I hate Christmas, Harleen, I have no family to visit." Ophira didn't look up as she closed the box tightly.

"Oh! I have an idea! Why don't we get together and have a little holiday celebration! I'll invite some of the doctors and a couple of the cuter guards. It'll be great!" Harleen's face broke into a massive grin. Ophira stood up and handed her the small cactus she kept on top of her filing cabinet.

"Uh, sure, sounds good. Will you carry Loki out to the car? He's a prickly bastard and doesn't play well with other things." Harleen looked down at the cactus and back up at Ophira.

"Yah named your cactus Loki?" Ophira shrugged and picked up the box.

"Seemed like an appropriate name." Harleen followed Ophira out of the office, carefully holding the small cactus out in front of her. Ophira locked her office door with a sigh and set off down the stairs.

"An appropriate name might be Prickles or Mr. Pokems, not Loki." Ophira let out a laugh at Harleen's ridiculous cactus names.

"Next time I get a cactus I'll let you name it." Harleen sent Ophira a bright smile and walked out to the small Subaru waiting in the parking lot.

Ophira chucked the box into the front seat and reached out for Loki. Harleen handed it to her delicately and leaned against the car. Ophira set Loki down on the floor, wedging it carefully between two old textbooks she kept for reference. Once satisfied with Loki's placement she turned to Harleen.

"I'm gonna miss you, make sure you keep me up to date on all the asylum gossip." Specifically the gossip about her. Ophira gave Harleen a tight hug and said goodbye, sliding into the front seat.

Ophira shook her head as she started the car and glanced at Loki.

"Mr. Pokems..." She let out a giggle and started the dreary drive home.

.........

The next week passed without incident and before long Ophira found herself in Harleen's modest apartment preparing for the Christmas party. She pulled a massive turkey from the oven and set it down gently on the tiled counter of the kitchen.

"Wow, you really went all out with this turkey. It even has the little booties." Ophira poked playfully at the white paper covering the turkey's ankles.

"Hey, it's been a long time since I've had a party, I wanna make it a good one!" Harleen called from across the room where she was currently spiking a bowl full of punch. A knock at the door filled the apartment.

"I got it." Ophira crossed quickly over to the door and peeked through the peephole. She opened the door and let Kari inside. They greeted each other with a friendly hug.

"I've missed you! How's your mandatory vacation going?" Kari sent her a wry smile. Ophira rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Ugh, I hate it. All I do is sit around my apartment all day and read the same patient notes over and over." Harleen snorted from across the room. "What?" Ophira turned to her and narrowed her eyes playfully.

"If it were me I would be out on the town, having all sorts of fun. Not reading patient notes, bleh." Harleen made a face and both Ophira and Kari laughed.

"That turkey looks like it needs carving. Watch out, I got this. I'm a pro with knives." Kari pushed past Ophira and took a carving knife from the wooden block. Ophira laughed and walked over to Harleen and grabbed a plastic cup. She scooped up some of the punch and took a cautious sip.

"Mmm, that's pretty good. You can't even taste the alcohol." Harleen gave her a devious smile.

"I call it my one-two punch, people drink it and don't realize they're getting totally hammered. We're definitely taking keys tonight just to be safe." She placed a small lock box by the door where people could slip their keys into. "They'll need to get the combo before they can get their keys out." Harleen winked at Ophira. "See, I'm a responsible adult." Ophira laughed and patted Harleen on the shoulder.

"Alright, turkey is carved. Ophira will you get me some of that knockout punch?" Kari called from across the room. Ophira scooped up a second helping and handed it to Kari. She took a generous sip and gave the drink a suspicious look.

"Oh, Jesus Christ Harleen, people will be passed out on the floor with this stuff." Harleen beamed at Kari before plucking a piece of turkey from the serving plate and popping it into her mouth. Another knock came from the door and Kari went to open it. A few of the younger guards stepped through the door, nodding at Ophira and Harleen in greeting.

"Come and try the punch boys, it'll knock your socks off." Harleen called flirtatiously out to them and met them by the punch bowl. Ophira shook her head at Harleen's youthful abandon and gingerly tried a piece of turkey.

........

At least twenty people were milling around Harleen's apartment an hour later and more were arriving every minute. The small living room was starting to get packed and before long Ophira found herself sitting halfway out the window that lead to the fire escape to get some space. She inhaled the cold December air and looked out over the busy traffic on Grand Ave. People coming and going, getting their last minute gifts. Ophira secretly wished she could be in one of those packed cars, happily carting home a few late gifts to leave in the name of santa. She sighed and watched the cold air carry her breath into the dark sky.

"Hey." A familiar voice came from behind her and Ophira stiffened. Jonathan stood behind her, holding a cup of punch. She turned toward him and gave him an appraising look.

"Can I help you with something?" Ophira asked curtly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Uh, no. I just wanted to talk." His words slurred a bit and Ophira wondered how many one-two punches he had consumed.

"There's nothing to talk about, Jonathan."

"I'm-I'm sorry I was a dick to your patient. I shouldn't have done that and I-I'm sorry. I really like you, Ophira. Like a lot." Ophira quirked an eyebrow at him, he was certainly less eloquent when he was drunk.

"Can I ask you something?" Jonathan nodded numbly, his eyes struggling to focus. "Did you spread a rumor about me? Something about being too close to my patients?" Jonathan swallowed thickly and Ophira knew she had him, anger bubbling inside of her.

"I didn't- it was an accident, I was mad. I said somethings I shouldn't have. It was just the way you touched him, I mean it made me mad. It made me-me jealous. You shouldn't have touched him." Jonathan mumbled and looked away from her. Ophira narrowed her eyes at him.

"Jonathan, he was out in below freezing temperatures in nothing but a standard issue jumpsuit. I was trying to keep him warm not jerk him off." Ophira hissed, feeling the alcohol mix with the anger in her system.

"I know-" He hiccuped loudly and continued "I know that now and I'm sorry. I tried to take it back after I said it but it kinda got out of control." Jonathan looked ashamed.

"Just stay away from me and don't say another word about any of this to anyone." Ophira turned back towards the window. When she realized that Jonathan hadn't moved she lowered her head and spoke softly "you could have been the one Jonathan, that could've been us down there in one of those cars."

Jonathan put a hand on her shoulder but Ophira shrugged it off.

"I'm sorry." Jonathan said softly and stumbled back to a small knot of guards. Kari had been watching the exchange from the sidelines and came to join Ophira by the window.

"You okay?" Kari sat next to her and gave her a look of concern.

"No." Ophira let a tear roll down her cheek. The one-two punch had caught up with her. "Am I doomed to be alone? Or am I going to settle on some idiot like him?" She leaned her head on Kari's shoulder.

"I think you already proved that you're not willing to stoop that low. Anyone would be lucky to have you, don't ever forget that." Kari rubbed Ophira's back.

"Did you hear what they're saying about me?" Ophira asked Kari quietly. Kari gave Ophira a curious look. "There's a rumor spreading that I'm sleeping with my patients." Ophira buried her head into Kari's sweater.

Kari blanched and her mouth fell open.

"That's awful! Who would say that?" Kari's eyes narrowed in anger.

"The jerk I was just talking to." Ophira mumbled quietly. Kari shook her head in disapproval.

A sudden shriek of laughter caused both Ophira and Kari to look up from the window. Harleen had broken out Twister and had started to play it with some surprising limber guards.

Ophira threw her head back and let out a laugh. Kari shook her head but a small smile graced her lips.

"I wish I could be like her, sometimes it seems like she doesn't have a care in the world." Kari mused, watching Harleen lean carefully over a blond guard to reach a blue circle. Ophira nodded and smiled softly.

"I could use some more knockout juice, you want some?" Kari nodded. Ophira got to her feet and grabbed a pitcher that held the extra juice that didn't fit in the bowl. Ophira shrugged and grabbed two glasses, she was on vacation after all.

..........

The party had dwindled down and only a few people were left standing after midnight. Ophira and Kari had settled on the fire escape with the window half open. They covered their legs with a blanket stolen from Harleen's closet. Both women were happily drunk, having finished the pitcher of extra knockout juice.

"Can I tell you something?" Kari mumbled as she leaned against Ophira.

"Yeah." Ophira tried to keep her eyes open and concentrated on hearing what Kari had to say.

"It's a secret. You can't tell anybody." Kari opened her eyes wide and looked at Ophira as seriously as she could in her state. A riddle flitted through Ophira's mind at Kari's words but she let it pass like a cloud in the sky.

"Okay, okay, just tell me." Ophira struggled to sit up straight and looked at Kari curiously.

"I think I'm in love with Harv." Kari mumbled softly. "Does that make me a bad person?" A tear fell from Kari's lash and she gave soft hiccup.

"No. Sometimes we can't choose who we love." Ophira said simply, closing her eyes and leaning against the railing. A pair of bright green eyes entered her mind and Ophira sighed. "And we all deserve to have someone to love." She wasn't sure if she said it or just thought it. In the end it didn't matter as Kari was softly snoring next to her. Ophira leaned her head on top of Kari's and looked out over Gotham, watching the city bustle on into the night.

.........

"Ah, my poor head." Harleen moaned as she emerged from her bedroom trying not to trip over the many sleeping bodies strewn across her apartment. She stumbled into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before looking for Ophira and Kari.

She found them snuggled against each other just inside the window, a blanket shared between them. Kari's eyes opened into slits as she felt Harleen walk toward them. She moaned softly and looked up at the young intern.

"Coffee?" She whispered, her mouth dry as a desert. Harleen gave her a quick nod and pointed to the kitchen where the brown drops were just starting to fill the glass container. Ophira mumbled and snuggled deeper within the blankets.

A loud crash broke through the apartment. One of the young guards had tripped over Harleen's shoe stand on his way to the bathroom. The apartment began to fill with groans of annoyance as everyone started to wake up.

Harleen sighed and gave the guard a cross look.

"Good job, Evan." Harleen shook her head and went to check on the coffee.

Ophira poked her head out of the blankets and shot Evan a dark look.

"Jerk face." Ophira mumbled sleepily. Kari laughed next to her before struggling to her feet.

"What are you, five?" Kari offered Ophira a hand and pulled her up.

"When I'm hungover." Ophira said quietly and stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a mug from Harleen's cabinet.

Harleen reached over and handed Kari her own mug of coffee before filling Ophira's.

"You guys have a good night?" Harleen asked. Ophira shrugged and sipped on her coffee.

"Your one-two punch should be illegal." Harleen laughed and looked at Kari who was clinging to her coffee cup like it was a lifeline.

"What about you?" Kari glanced up at Harleen and nodded.

"Well, I can't remember anything after I saw you playing Twister but I assume I was awake for a while after that. I hope I didn't make a fool out of myself." Kari looked at Ophira questioningly.

"You were fine, we just talked for a while on the fire escape." Ophira said gently, she still remembered Kari's confession quite clearly. Kari nodded at her and stared into her coffee.

Ophira excused herself to get some air and slipped out the window and onto the fire escape. The morning light blossomed over Gotham, ushering in Christmas Day to the joy of many children all over the city.

Ophira sipped on her coffee gingerly and thought about the intelligent green eyes and cocky smirk that invaded her dreams. Her words from last night echoed inside her head...

We all deserve to have someone to love.


	11. CHAPTER TEN

The snow drifted past Ophira's window silently, muting the city's noise. The last light of the day illuminated the small nook she had taken to during her forced exile from the asylum. The only sounds that permeated the apartment were from the soft clack of wood as Ophira half heartedly tried to piece together the logic puzzle that had been left at her door. She was so close to solving it, so close she could taste it. A small half turn of a rather obtuse piece finally allowed her to push the puzzle together. She smiled softly and examined the oddly pleasing wooden sculpture in her hand before setting it gently on the table in front of her.

She rose from her papasan and placed her old kettle on the stove, preparing her evening tea. Ophira was set to return to the asylum the next day. Her stomach clenched at the thought, Ophira had desperately wanted to return over the last two weeks but something was bothering her. At first she had blamed it Killer Croc's escape but then Ophira realized that the fear she felt wasn't physical, it was mental. Ophira would have to face Edward again for the first time since the botanical gardens. He had saved her and comforted her, something far outside his psychological profile. He had flirted with her, not uncommon among her male patients, but Edward had actually made her heart flutter. The burning touch of his hand and his silky knowing voice had visited her every night in her dreams, taunting her. Ophira didn't know what to expect from him the next day, their session seemed a daunting task.

She steeped her tea and headed for the window of her living room, sitting delicately on the sill as she watched the snow flutter by. Night began creeping over the city's skyline and small yellow dots began to lighten every window, combating the darkness.

.........

The morning was clear as Ophira trudged through the snow up to her office. She carried her small cactus in a gloved hand, hoping the cold wouldn't hurt it before she could get inside.

"Good to see you back, Dr. Zane." Ophira whirled around and beamed at the stout gentlemen behind her. Aaron Cash gave her a small smile.

"I can't believe you're here! Are you okay?" She looked curiously at his arm but it was covered with the sleeve of his jacket. Cash shrugged and motioned for them to continue to Intensive Treatment.

"Croc can't keep me down, check this out." Cash held up his arm and let the sleeve drop revealing a shiny metal hook. Ophira's mouth dropped open and Cash gave her a wink.

"Wow! That's so badass." Ophira touched the hook gingerly before letting it slip beneath the sleeve once again. "How long was your leave?"

"I was gone for about five days, old Sharpy said he needed as many guards on the job as possible." Cash shrugged and looked at Ophira curiously. "You've been gone for a while, lots of theories about why you left. I figured I'd ask you rather then get involved in the rumor mill."

Ophira shook her head in dismay. "Sharp said the senior doctors recommended two weeks off for emotional distress but now I see that there may have been more behind it. If I was out for two weeks then you should've been out for at least a few months." Cash nodded and held the door as they stepped inside Intensive Treatment. Ophira gave him quick one armed hug before they separated. "Thank you for not believing the rumors, none them are true." She whispered before pulling away.

Cash gave her a kind look. "Don't worry about it, I know. I'll bring Nigma up for you, he's been unbearable since you left. I think the whole staff will take a sigh of relief once he calms down again." With that he entered the bowels of the facility leaving Ophira to head up to her office. She smiled softly to herself, secretly satisfied that Edward had missed her but a small twinge of nervousness spread through her belly.

Ophira flipped the light on to her office and looked around to ensure everything was in it's proper place. Her green scarf was still missing but Ophira didn't expect it to turn up again. Her desk had a fine layer of dust from disuse. A quick swipe of the duster she kept in the drawer took care of that. She settled down in her chair and leaned back quietly, breathing in the smell of the small office. The scent of musty books and old wood greeted her nose. She smiled at the familiar sensation.

A rough knock came from the door. Ophira sighed and stood to open it, giving Cash a smile. Her eyes wandered to the figure just behind him where Edward stood with a smug look. His green eyes narrowed in satisfaction as he saw her, a small smirk gracing his lips. Ophira allowed them inside and sat down in her desk chair. Cash watched carefully as Edward walked past him and sat in the wooden chair across from Ophira. She gave him the okay and Cash nodded, gently closing the door with a snap behind him.

"Hello Edward. I have to apologize for my absence, if I had the choice it would not have happened. How have you been?" Ophira placed her elbows on the desk and leaned forward. She gazed at him softly, noting the scruff that poked up around his chin.

"It has been terribly boring here since you left, my dear. I found myself relying on Crane and Tetch for intelligent conversation and both of them are completely unhinged." Edward waved his hand as if dismissing his fellow patients. "After Crane smuggled a syringe of fear toxin and attempted to stab me I was at a complete loss for semi-intelligent debate. The staff here are complete idiots, apes without a modicum of sense. Besides you, of course." He shot Ophira a glance of approval, his green eyes flashed at her. "I tried to engage them with riddles and other conundrums but they all refused to answer me, the morons." He said silkily and swiped a strand of his loose hair from his face. His leg shook beneath the desk, he was itching to dive into some wonderful, mind bending riddles.

"It's nice to have a partner for intelligent conversation again." Edward looked at her evenly with a small smile. Ophira smiled softly at Edward, he was becoming much more personable every time they met. Although, it seemed that it only extended to her and none of the other staff or patients.

"Well, I think we should spend this session talking about your predilection for riddles and other mind games." Ophira shifted in her seat, leaning backward and examining Edward through lidded eyes.

Edward leaned forward and pondered which riddle would be the first for their session before they were interrupted by a sudden sharp round of knocking. Ophira stood to open the door, her eyes narrowed in confusion. As her hand touched the handle she paused, peaking through the small peephole. Edward craned his neck to watch, his eyes furrowed in question. Ophira could see no one outside the door, not even Cash. A cold tingle rippled down her spine and a spreading sense of dread bloomed in her belly. Her fingers danced over the locking mechanism on the door, clicking it into place as quietly as possible. She turned around and put a finger to her lips when she spotted Edward watching her and made her way back behind her desk, motioning for him to follow. He stood quietly and slipped behind the wooden mass, sitting on the cold floor next to her.

Ophira pulled a small hidden tab on the underside of the desk revealing a stun gun. Cash had been kind enough to install it on her first day. Edward watched her carefully remove the gun and hold it delicately in her lap, his brows raising in surprise.

"More dangerous than she lets on..." He thought bemusedly while he fought an oncoming smirk.

Another round of knocking echoed through the small room. Ophira's knuckles turned white as she clenched the small weapon. Edward peered curiously around the desk and looked at the crack between the door and the ground. Pale and dirty feet stood there, presumably the source of the knocks.

"Edward open the door or I'll slip a canister of gas in there and leave you to experience all of your nightmares." A cruel voice came from outside the door.

A smirk bloomed across Edward's face. It was only Crane. He was as close to a friend as Edward had. He made to rise but a small hand caught his wrist, pulling him back down. Ophira gave him wide eyes and shook her head vigorously. She was frightened, something that would delight his devious peer who was waiting on the other side of the door. A stab of anger grasped his insides as images of Crane testing fear toxin on his sweet doctor flitted through his mind. She was his and he would not let Crane ruin her.

The door knob jiggled as Scarecrow tried to enter. Anyone with half a brain knew Crane would make good on his promise to flood the room with gas if Edward didn't greet him soon. Edward gently pulled Ophira's hand away and rose into a crouch next to her. He stroked her hair and placed his hand on her neck pulling her closer to his face. His green eyes bored into hers before he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Ophira inhaled sharply at the contact and felt a shiver run down her spine as Edward's breath ticked her ear.

"I won't let him hurt you, my dear. You are mine." He whispered delicately, his lips millimeters away from her ear. He gave her one last look before rising to full height and heading for the door. He made quick work of the lock and opened the door to find Crane in front of him.

"Ah, Jonathan. How is reducing people to their most primal instincts treating you?" Edward leaned against the doorway and gave Crane a dry smirk. Jonathan still had his standard issue jumpsuit on but had lost his shoes somewhere within the asylum. Jonathan's cold blue eyes gave Edward a hard stare before glancing around the room just behind him.

"Where's your doctor, Edward? Cowering? It's not often I get to study a fellow doctor's fears." Crane went to step through the door but Edward placed an arm across the doorway, blocking his path.

"You need my help for something? I can't think of another reason why you would go to all of this trouble. I fail to see a scenario that involves my doctor." Edward said sharply while giving Jonathan a flat stare. Crane stepped back from the door, conceding to Edward's logic.

"Your doctor? I've heard rumors, Edward." Crane gave Edward a clinical stare and raised an eyebrow in question.

"They are all true, of course. I am the smartest man in Gotham." Edward offered conceitedly, cocking his head at Crane. "But we already knew that, didn't we?" He folded his arms across his chest and gave Crane a smirk and let out a small titter.

Crane scowled at him. "Enough, Edward. I can't stand listening to your self-aggrandising rhetoric. We need to remove ourselves before someone triggers the alarms." He turned to walk down the hallway but paused when he noticed Edward wasn't following. As Crane turned to look at the self-proclaimed genius he was suddenly overwhelmed with a shock of electricity and slumped to the floor unmoving. Edward whipped around and found Ophira standing in the hallway, her hands still clutching the now spent stun gun.

"Fucking asshole." She whispered harshly before lowering the weapon. She looked at Edward quietly before passing him to make sure Crane was knocked out. Edward considered the woman in front of him carefully; the guards were still missing, he could easily overpower her and have a tidy escape. Freedom was certainly tempting but there was something holding him back.

Ophira rose and returned to the doorway of her office, standing directly in front of him. Edward raised an eyebrow in question before she slid her hands around his body and pulled him in close for a tight hug. Edward stood quite still before easing his hands under her arms and returning the gesture.

Ophira leaned her chin against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Thank you." She said softly into the fabric of his jumpsuit. Edward nodded and held her closer, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair. There was so much about her that he didn't know, she was his new mystery, his new sweet conundrum. The thought of escape left Edward's mind, he wasn't quite ready to leave yet.


	12. CHAPTER ELEVEN

The heat of Edward's body radiated through his jumpsuit, gently reminding Ophira of their proximity.

"Oh..." Ophira took a small step backward, carefully breaking their embrace. Edward looked at her oddly, his green eyes hooded as he considered her. Ophira gave him a small smile before turning to observe the hallway. Crane was still passed out on the floor but Ophira saw no sign of Cash or any of the other guards.

"Crane is not going to be happy with you when he wakes, my dear." Edward leaned on the doorway and stared at her calmly with his arms folded across his chest. "The man can hold a grudge."

Ophira turned to him and gave him a cross look.

"That's not helping, Edward." She walked past him into her office and checked her phone for a dial tone but found none. Ophira sighed and leaned on the desk quietly. The door shut with a small click as Edward followed her inside, turning the lock before heading toward Ophira. Her body stiffened as she heard the desk creak as Edward leaned over it. His head rested on her shoulder gently before he opened his mouth to speak.

"I can offer you my protection, Ophira. None of the shaved primates here will ever threaten you again." His silky voice tickled Ophira's neck and she gave a small shiver. She could practically feel the smirk on his face.

"Edward, I'm your doctor. I'm the one that is supposed to be helping you." Ophira gently pulled away from Edward, his chin sliding off her shoulder. She turned to face him and folded her arms across her chest. Edward looked put off at the distance that she had put between them but quickly let his irritation pass.

"You can't assist me if you're dead or feargased into complete lunacy." Edward sat in the patient's chair quietly and stared at Ophira lazily, his eyes only half open. "The guards have already proven that they are not capable of protecting you. Or themselves."

"And what is your price for my protection? Hmm?" Ophira sent him a small glare, not wanting to admit that his theory about the guards was right. She leaned against the filing cabinets that lined the wall, feeling the cold metal through her coat. Edward sat upright in his chair and gave her a small smirk.

"You'd be mine, Ophira." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders as if it was an obvious statement. Ophira narrowed her eyes at him from across the room.

"Yours? What exactly would that entail, Edward?" She said sourly, furrowing her brows at him. Edward chuckled and leaned back in his chair, interlinking his hands behind his head.

"It's not a hard concept, Ophira. Most children understand the basics of ownership." He smirked at her and raised his eyebrows. Ophira huffed indignantly at his jab but allowed him to continue. He began ticking off the conditions on his fingers. "You will be my doctor for the rest of my stay at this godforsaken establishment. You will not turn me into any guards for wrongdoing. You will try your best to keep me from being placed in solitary. And finally you will not engage in any type of romantic relationship with anyone that I deem unsuitable. In exchange I will keep you safe, none of the rogues or other nefarious barbarians will ever lay a finger on you, my dear. Doesn't that sound nice?" Edward cooed at her mockingly. Ophira sent him a fierce glare and started pacing around the small office.

"I have to ask your permission to date? That's ridiculous, Edward. How is that supposed to keep me safe?" Ophira stopped in front of the desk and put her palms down and leaned over it, facing Edward. He leaned in towards her and looked up at her face.

"For purely logistical reasons, my dear. I can't exactly have you traipsing around with a brute like Cho while you're under my protection. There would be a power struggle and it wouldn't end nicely for your partner." Edward delicately pushed a curl away from her face. "And maybe I want you to myself?" He whispered quietly as he placed the curl behind an ear, his fingers tracing the shell of her ear before falling to her neck.

Ophira inhaled sharply and pulled away from him. Her insides twisted with nervousness as she considered his words.

"Edward, no. There's already rumors about me...about me having inappropriate relations with my patients. I'm at risk of being fired." She whispered softly, facing away from Edward.

Edward's brows shot up in surprise, finally understanding what Crane had said about the rumors. His smirk turned into a grimace at her discomfort. He secretly vowed to exact justice upon the person who spread the rumors.

"I will protect you, Ophira. From everything. Just say that you agree to my terms." He stood quietly and walked around the desk to her side. Ophira raised her head and looked at him wearily.

"And if I don't agree?" She asked gently, considering the seriousness of his face. His green eyes were sharp and keen as the stared down at her.

"My apologies, Ophira, but I'm not taking no for an answer." Edward gave her a deadly serious look and took her hand into his own, rubbing her smooth skin with his thumb. She didn't pull back from his touch, instead squeezing him gently with her fingers. Her heart beat wildly, desperate for more than the innocent touch he was providing her.

"Then I suppose I have no choice. Don't do anything too nefarious, please." She sighed and leaned against him, her head tucked neatly beneath his chin. Edward grinned in victory and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"I'll try not to, my dear Ophira." He whispered breathily, enjoying the feeling of her against his chest. He raised his free hand to her back, rubbing her shoulders blades gently.

Ophira raised her head to look at Edward's face, her breath becoming shallow with nervousness. Edward looked down at her with lidded eyes, examining her features delicately.

"I am just two and two. I am warm, I am cold. I am lawful, unlawful, a duty, a fault, I am often sold dear. Good for nothing when bought; an extraordinary boon, and a matter of course, and yielding with pleasure when taken by force. What am I?" Edward whispered quietly and watched as Ophira's brows furrowed and then shot up in surprise at the riddle.

Edward placed a hand around Ophira's neck gently pulling her upwards. His breath ghosted across Ophira's lips as he waited for the answer.

"A kiss?" She said softly, her eyes closing slowly as Edward leaned in to close the distance between them. Ophira's heart thumped rapidly, her mind reeling at the implications of their intimacy but as their lips met softly Ophira let herself succumb to the desire he had instilled in her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss. She could feel the heat of his skin, the taste of his lips, the sharp stubble grazing across her jaw. The taboo nature of their courtship excited her, her logic lost to his touch.

Edward pulled Ophira closer to him without breaking the kiss, leaving no room between their bodies. She could feel the heat radiating off of him, the faint thump of his own heartbeat. Ophira felt a rush of lust as the thin jumpsuit allowed her to feel Edward's growing excitement near her waist. She couldn't help but let out a small moan. Edward smiled against her lips gently and pulled away, eyeing her excitedly. Ophira felt her cheeks darken and pulled away from him, looking away shyly.

"I'm not sure if you're incredibly charming or if I'm just a lonely fool." She said softly, turning toward the desk and giving him a side glance. Edward smirked deviously and raised his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"You should see my normal attire, my dear. It's immeasurably more handsome than this rag." He gestured to his jumpsuit. "You wouldn't be able to resist me, Ophira." He said silkily while winking at her. Ophira laughed at his cockiness and leaned against the desk, her head still stuck in the whirlwind of emotions.

"Dr. Zane! Are you in need of assistance?" A sharp voice called through the locked door. It sounded like one of the guards had finally arrived. Ophira crossed the room quickly and motioned for Edward to sit down in the patient's chair. He obliged and watched her carefully as she peaked through the peephole. Ophira saw a familiar guard standing outside. She slid the lock out of the way and allowed Terry inside. He looked over Edward suspiciously before gesturing for him to rise. Terry slipped handcuffs over Edward's wrists and gently guided him outside the door.

"You okay? He give you any trouble?" Terry asked quietly, he had always been one of the more shy guards. Ophira shook her head patiently, smiling to herself. He had given her no trouble at all, quite the opposite in fact.

"I'm fine. My patient has been very cooperative during this whole thing. Have you found Cash yet?" Ophira followed Terry and Edward out of the office and looked down the hallway. Crane was being loaded onto a small stretcher to be taken to the infirmary, still unconscious from earlier. Terry nodded and waited patiently as Crane was rolled past them.

"Yeah, found him in a closet with some of the other second story guards. Guess Crane whipped up some kind of chloroform-like gas and put 'em to sleep for a bit. Doctors are looking 'em over now but last I heard they were starting to come to on their own. I'm gonna take your patient back to his cell, everybody has to be accounted for, could be others." Terry mumbled and nodded to Ophira in parting as he marched Edward away. Edward sent her a wink as he passed and Ophira turned away so he couldn't see her smile.

........

"Wow! What a crazy day!" Harleen happily piled french fries onto her tray and pulled a hamburger from the self-serve tray in the dining hall. "That Scarecrow is a piece of work, ain't he?" She tittered excitedly, giving Ophira a side glance.

"Huh? I'm sorry I must have missed what you said." Ophira had been lost in the memory of her time with Edward. She knew she should have felt terribly guilty but she couldn't help but let the excitement she felt overshadow the fear of being caught.

"It's fine, you had a rough morning." Ophira had recounted the events of the morning with Harleen as they had walked to the dining hall together, conveniently leaving out the parts about Edward.

They sat down at a corner table, scrapping the metal chairs against the ground as they became comfortable. Harleen dug into her miniature feast happily, oblivious to Ophira's inner turmoil. Ophira found Harleen's attitude odd, usually escape attempts didn't excite the staff.

"You're awfully cheerful, anything I should know about?" Ophira leaned across the small table towards Harleen.

"You caught me! I got a new patient today." Harleen gave Ophira a wide smile and clapped her hands together. "He's exactly what I've been waiting for. I would tell you who he is but Dr. Young asked me to keep it a secret." She winked at Ophira dramatically. Ophira raised her brows at Harleen but patted her on the shoulder sportingly.

"That's great Harleen, I'm happy for you. Did you have your first session already?" Ophira sipped her tea gently and took a small bite of her sandwich.

"Yep! This morning, Dr. Young let me use her office for the interview, she's a sweetheart." Harleen smiled fondly over at the senior doctor who was sitting on the other side of the lunch room. "He's gonna be a tough nut to crack but I think I can do it." Harleen said proudly, puffing her chest out confidently.

Ophira gave Harleen a wide smile and nodded at her encouragingly.

"That's the spirit, Harleen. Have you seen Kari today?" Ophira scanned the room, looking for Kari's signature jet black hair.

"Nuh-uh. Might be out sick or something." Harleen shrugged and took a bite of her burger that left a small line of mayonnaise on her cheek. Ophira picked up her napkin and swiped the offending condiment off quickly. Harleen laughed at Ophira and gave her a teasing smile.

"You're almost as bad as Kari, she's always trying to be the mom around here." Ophira shrugged and stole a fry off of Harleen's tray.

"Yeah, Kari had a rough start in life. I think she tries the hardest out of anyone to actually help people here." Harleen nodded and took another massive bite of her burger, signaling an end to the conversation.

Ophira's appetite waned as the memory of Edward's kiss popped back into her mind. What had she been thinking? A sudden nervousness grasped her belly at the thought of their agreement. Ophira had been frightened, twice now she had almost been attacked by rogues and now she had a deal with one of them? She grimaced at her foolishness, at her perverse desire for Edward. How could she be so stupid?

Ophira stood abruptly, giving Harleen a quick goodbye before leaving the lunchroom. Her heart beat wildly and her breath became shallow as she tried to exit the manor. By the time Ophira realized she was having a panic attack it was too late, her vision blurring at the lack of oxygen making its way to her brain. Her thoughts become muddled and the sound of rushed footsteps barely registered as she collapsed.

........

The smell of latex gloves and bleach entered her nostrils, coaxing her into consciousness. Ophira opened her eyes slowly, feeling a dull pounding from her hip. The florescent lights of the infirmary came into view above her. She groaned in pain and tried to rub her hip but a soft gloved hand grabbed her wrist. Ophira turned to look at her captor slowly, registering that it was a nurse who staffed the small ward.

"Hey, you're okay. You suffered some kind of attack and had a tumble down the stairs. Can you tell me what your name is?" The plump nurse gazed down at her kindly before letting her hand drop onto the bed.

"Ophira Zane. I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed." Ophira said quietly before looking about the infirmary. Several beds were occupied by the second story guards, including Cash. He was sitting up in the small bed and giving her a look of concern. She sent him a small smile of reassurance before trying to sit up in her own cot.

"Take it slow, honey. You banged your hips pretty bad on your way down." Ophira nodded and pulled herself up slowly. The small plastic doorway rustled as a doctor stepped through. The salt and pepper haired physician stopped at the end of her bed and gave her a charming smile.

"Look at that, more staff here today than patients. What happened Dr. Zane?" He chuckled and took the small flashlight out of his coat, checking her pupils carefully.

"I suppose I was due for a check-up anyway, Stephen." She looked at the doctor ruefully. "Sometimes we psychiatrists forget about anything other than the mind." Stephen let out a small laugh and patted Ophira on the shoulder.

"You're lucky Mr. Cho was there, he carried you over here faster than a bat out of hell. Stuck around for awhile to keep an eye on you, had to send him home to get some rest." Ophira's smile faltered, Jonathan had carried her here? They hadn't ended on good terms last time they met, it didn't make much sense for him to be concerned about her.

Stephen placed her chart on the end of her bed and turned to address Ophira.

"We're going to keep you here overnight for observation. We need to make sure that the attacks have stopped, can't have your passing out on your way home and getting into an accident. Jackie is going to get you some medicine for the pain."

Ophira balked at the notion of being kept overnight but kept quiet, understanding why it was necessary. She could have easily cracked her skull when she fell. She laid back in the bed and felt herself belling lulled to sleep by the quiet hum that surrounded the infirmary.


	13. CHAPTER TWELVE

"Ophira?"

She opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the harsh light of the infirmary. Harleen stood on the edge of her bed, giving her a look of concern.

"Hey..." Ophira greeted her quietly and sat up in the bed, looking around for other patients. The sterile white ward was empty, all of the guards had been released during the night.

"You okay? Heard you took quite a tumble." Harleen grabbed Ophira's hand and held it softly. Ophira gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance.

"I guess my first day back was a little overwhelming with Scarecrow's attempted escape." Ophira shrugged and gave Harleen a small smile.

Harleen nodded at Ophira before speaking "Dr. Young asked me to check on you, she said that you should take today off and come back tomorrow." Harleen gave Ophira an apologetic look.

"Ugh, I feel awful for being away from my patients. I just had two-weeks leave and now I have to take another day? The asylum needs to get it's shit together with all of these escape attempts, it's getting ridiculous." Ophira spouted bitterly, her eyes narrowed in frustration. Harleen gave her small smile and nodded in agreement.

"I'm so sorry, I can't even imagine leaving my new patient. Dr. Young said I can treat him three days a week!" Harleen gushed excitedly, her mood changing wildly. Ophira quirked a brow at her young friend, only level nine patients could be interviewed three times a week. Special permission had to be granted before a patient could be interviewed more than once, Ophira had had a tough time arguing for twice a week interviews with Edward.

"Wow, three days a week? Are you sure you won't get burnt out? It just seems like a lot, Harleen." It was Ophira's turn to look at Harleen with concern. Ophira wasn't sure that Harleen was ready for such an ambitious assignment. Harleen's brows narrowed and she let go of Ophira's hand.

"So you don't think I can do it?" Harleen whispered quietly, eyes downcast. A frown pulled across her young face.

"No, I-" Ophira objected but Harleen interrupted her sharply.

"You don't think I'm smart enough, do you? You think I'm just some young twit who will never earn her license! You're just like Kari, neither of you could accept that I'm just as good as you are. Both of you have some real issues, I'm the only sane one around here and I think you're both jealous of that!" Harleen stood sharply and shot Ophira a fierce glare before stomping out of the ward.

Ophira called after her in protest and scrambled to get out of the bed to follow her. She let out a gasp as throbs of pain emanated from her hip as she rose from the bed. She bit her lip against the sensation and slowly passed through the plastic covered doorway.

The hallway was empty as Ophira carefully made her way towards the exit to the infirmary. Footsteps approached her as she tried to open the heavy door to the outside.

"Dr. Zane, you can't go outside dressed like that, you'll freeze." Ophira let out a groan of frustration and leaned against the cold metal door.

"Hello, Jonathan. Did you see Harleen come through here?" Ophira didn't bother to look at him, instead closely her eyes against the growing pain in her hip. He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment.

"Uh, yeah. She looked pretty pissed. Shouldn't you be in bed? You don't look good." Jonathan's voice was full of concern as he approached her.

"I don't want to go back to that sorry excuse for a hospital bed. I just want to go home, Jonathan." Harleen was probably halfway across the asylum grounds by now, no point in trying to follow.

Ophira opened her eyes and found Jonathan a lot closer to her than she expected him to be. She pressed herself against the door to gain the small amount of distance it granted her. Jonathan seemed to notice and stepped back, suddenly embarrassed. He gave her an apologetic look before turning away to use his radio.

"Hey Cash, I'm taking a personal day. Somethings come up. Gotta take care of a friend." Ophira's eyes widened and she opened her mouth in protest. Cash's voice came over the radio, approving Jonathan's request.

"Thanks, Cash. I'll be back tomorrow." Jonathan clipped the radio back onto his sleeve and turned back toward the doctor. "I'm taking you home."

"Wait, that's not necessary. I appreciate it but I can get home on my own." Ophira put her hand out to stop Jonathan as he approached her. He gave her a soft look before taking off his jacket.

"You can barely walk, Ophira. Let me help you." He gently moved her outstretched arm and placed his coat over her shoulders softly. "I know you don't want to stay here."

Ophira couldn't argue with him, she was in no shape to drive and taxis didn't come to the island (for good reason). He was her best chance at returning to her own bed.

"You're right, Jonathan. You should probably grab a wheelchair though, I don't think I can make it across the grounds." She rubbed her hip gently, the pain from standing had become almost unbearable. Jonathan shook his head and quickly maneuvered around Ophira to pick her up bridal style.

"Oof, what are you doing?!" She protested as she felt herself leave the ground. Ophira flung her arms around his neck to hold on.

"Who needs a wheelchair when you've got these guns?" Jonathan nodded his head at his arms in jest. Ophira couldn't help but laugh, the joke reminded her of the old Jonathan. He grinned at her before kicking the button to open the door.

The January air bit at them as they crossed the grounds to the parking lot. Ophira couldn't help but appreciate the fact that no one except the ever watchful tower guards saw them as they made their way across the grounds. Although she figured a new rumor about her might help squash the old one.

Jonathan stopped in front of an old brown ford and gently sat her down on the hood. The truck was still warm from Jonathan's drive in this morning so the hood was quite comfortable. He unlocked the door with a clang of the key and carefully picked her up and slid her across the old leather bench seat.

"It's not the best but it does it's job." He apologized as he pulled himself inside the old truck. He patted the steering wheel affectionately before placing the key in the ignition. The engine started with a rumble.

"A diesel? No wonder it's still on the road." Ophira pulled a seat belt across her lap and clipped it in, careful not to touch her hip. Jonathan nodded in agreement before putting the truck in gear. The truck ambled slowly across the icy ground and Ophira watched as they passed her old Subaru sadly.

"You live in the city?" Jonathan asked quietly as the crossed the bridge that connected Arkham Island to Gotham.

"Yeah, I live on Bleake Island. Cauldron District."

"Whoa, you part of the mob or something?" Jonathan sent her a teasing smile.

"Hey, not everyone in the Cauldron is part of the mob. Only about 90%." Ophira quipped while staring at the city out the window. Jonathan let out a warm laugh before pulling out onto the street. The rest of the journey was spent in silence until they reached the district Ophira called home. She led him to the small parking spot where the her Subaru usually resided.

"This is it." Ophira unclipped her seatbelt as Jonathan parked the truck. He slid out of the car door, nearly slipping on the unsalted ice outside before coming to assist her.

"Thanks." Ophira said softly as Jonathan carried her inside the building. Luckily the elevator seemed to be in a good mood and took them up without protest. Ophira pulled the keys from the lanyard she kept around her neck as they approached her door. Jonathan set her down gently and watched as she began unlocking the multiple locks that kept her apartment safe.

"Hey there, looks like Ms. Doctor got herself a man. Good on you, buddy!" A drunken voice spouted from down the hall. Billy seemed to be absolutely smashed, his face redder than his hair. His blue eyes were unfocused as he stumbled down the hall towards them. "Bitch wouldn't give me the time of day! But hey, if you're willing to share I don't mind the ass." He laughed wildly and leaned against the wall of the hallway. Jonathan straightened up and positioned himself in front of Ophira.

"You better crawl back into whatever hole you came out of, bud, before this gets ugly." Jonathan's voice deepened as he issued the threat. Ophira saw his hand move toward the club on his belt and realized that he was in full guard mode.

"Hey, fuck you. This is my building! You can't come in here and act like you own the place!" Billy drunkenly pulled a revolver from the back of his pants and pointed it haphazardly at Jonathan. Ophira gasped as Jonathan pulled his own gun from his belt. He turned his head slightly toward her, his eyes serious.

"Get inside now." He whispered out the side of his mouth before turning his face away from her. Not wasting any time Ophira pushed inside and hid behind the door.

"No one has to get hurt, put the gun down." Jonathan said evenly, his voice quite calm for the situation he was in. Billy hurled more insults at him from across the hall, belligerent in his drunkenness.

Ophira pulled the phone from doctors coat and dialed Mick's number quickly. She briefly considered calling the police but that would probably mean the end of her tenancy. Mick could defuse the situation without the need for the cops.

A sleepy voice answered with a small hello.

"Mick, it's Ophira. Billy is out of control, he's pointing a gun at a friend of mine who happens to be pointing one back."

"Ah shit. What a fecking idiot. On my way." With that Mick hung up, leaving Ophira to watch the altercation from just inside the doorway.

"Neither of us wants to die today, bud. Put the gun down and we'll forget this ever happened."

"HA! You think I believe your bullshit? You look like a fucking pig! I'd be doing this city a favor by putting a bullet right through that head of yours." Billy spit towards Jonathan, his face twisted in fury.

Jonathan's finger twitched near the trigger as the situation elevated. Ophira prayed that neither of them would work up the courage to shoot.

The sound of quick footsteps made them all glance towards the corner. Mick popped out from the behind the wall, irritation written all over his face. He stepped between Jonathan and Billy, effectively blocking both gun-wielders.

"Alright, that's enough. Billy, your pop has enough on his plate without you shooting some cop. Go back to bed before I shove my boot up your ass." Mick's wrinkled face glowered sourly at the drunk man. Billy lowered his weapon slowly before giving it to Mick and stomping down the hall away from them. Ophira let out a shaky breath and thanked Mick. He shook his head and wandered after Billy, presumably to make sure that he was going to get some rest.

"Does this happen often?" Jonathan clipped his gun back into his belt before stepping inside and closing the door. Ophira looked at him apologetically from living room.

"I am so sorry. Usually he's passed out by the time I leave for work." Jonathan shook his head and patted her back. The pain in Ophira's hip returned with a vengeance and she was forced to sit down on her small green love seat. Jonathan wandered past her into the kitchen and started opening cabinets.

"Don't worry about it, happens all the time at work. Although inmates aren't usually armed." He pulled out a couple of potatoes and a cutting board. Pulling a knife from the block he began to chop them into small chunks.

"What are you doing?" Ophira asked from her small setup on the couch.

"Making breakfast. Unless you were saving these potatoes for something important." He stopped chopping and looked at her questioningly. She waved him on and watched as he cubed the root vegetables.

After they had tucked into breakfast Ophira found herself wondering if he was going to stay the whole day. He seemed quite comfortable watching morning television on the papasan across from her.

"You don't have to stay here, Jonathan. I'll be fine." Jonathan glanced at her lazily from the chair.

"I don't mind. That idiot landlord of yours might wake up and come down here to stir up trouble. Can't have that." Jonathan stood and walked over to her, motioning for her to scoot over. "Guarding people is my profession, Ophira." He patted her leg affectionately before settling on the couch next to her. She watched him curiously as he turned back toward the television, seemingly intrigued by the cooking segment of the program.

A few minutes passed before Jonathan turned toward Ophira. "Just because you think I'm doing something nice for you doesn't mean you have to like me, Ophira. I know you think I'm some kind of monster." She blinked at him in surprise.

"Jonathan, I don't think you're a monster. I know monsters and you aren't one. You're a just a...an asshole sometimes." Ophira said quietly as she pushed herself up in her seat. Jonathan let out a humorless laugh and put a hand over his eyes.

"That attitude could kill you one day, especially with the people you treat. You try to see the best in everyone, Ophira, and I respect that. Hell, I used to be like that too until one day my best friend's throat was slit by a patient no one took seriously." Jonathan's mouth pulled into a grimace. "If I had been watching him like I should have Dave wouldn't have died. I guess I kinda lost a piece of my humanity that day. Sometimes I can't see patients as humans, only the killers they could be." He leaned forward in his seat and took his hand away from his eyes to look at her. Ophira studied him carefully, her psychiatrist foot forward.

"Maybe you should take a leave for a little while. The human mind can only take so much trauma. Things have been very difficult at the asylum lately." Ophira said softly, giving him a kind look.

Jonathan seemed to consider her advice and leaned back into his seat. They sat in silence for a few moments and listened to the chatter of the overly enthusiastic morning hosts on Good Morning Gotham. A segment about a cat born with six legs was airing when Jonathan broke the silence.

"I think you're right, I should take a leave. Old Sharp isn't going to be happy but he never is." Jonathan patted Ophira's knee affectionately. He made to stand and pulled a flip phone from his pocket. "I'll call him now, I know for sure that I have time off built up. I've worked at the asylum for five years and never taken a proper vacation." He wandered over the kitchen and dialed his phone. Ophira listened from the living room, her head propped up on the side of the couch. The call was brief and Ophira braced herself for bad news as Jonathan walked back to the love seat.

"Looks like I'm getting three-weeks paid leave, just gotta wait until the month ends." Jonathan beamed and plopped down beside her. The mood lifted considerably and the morning quickly turned into the afternoon as they wasted the day in front of the television, occasionally swapping asylum gossip. Darkness was starting to fall over Gotham as Jonathan pulled a frozen pizza from the oven.

"Dinner is served!" He pulled a mushroom off the pizza and plopped it into his mouth and immediately grimaced in pain. "Fuck! Ow, fuck! Ow, ow, ow!" He poured himself a glass of water to nurse his now burned esophagus. Ophira couldn't help but laugh at his foolishness.

"Maybe we should wait until it's not so hot." Ophira offered from the couch and Jonathan gave her a small nod as he gulped down his glass of water. After he had finished he went to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. Jonathan popped the caps off and carried one over to Ophira who took it gratefully. She took a generous sip and savored the bitter taste of the IPA.

"Mmm, I have a damn good sense for beer." She boasted as she sipped happily on the brew. Jonathan laughed and settled down on the couch next to her.

"You are so cute, you know that?" He looked at her playfully and pushed her arm in jest. She snorted and pushed him back.

"What? I can't be confident about my beer choices?" Ophira narrowed her eyes beside him, a small smile on her lips.

"That's what makes you so fucking cute." Jonathan leaned forward and placed a small peck on her cheek. Ophira's stomach flipped as his lips hit her skin. She stood up quickly and made her way to the kitchen, minding her hip as she went. She busied herself with testing the temperature of the cooling pizza as she considered the situation she was in.

A few months ago she would've been over the moon about Jonathan's affections but now things were complicated. Very complicated. He had shown himself to be cruel and had personally hurt her by starting the rumors about her and Edward.

...Edward. Ophira felt her heart race as she thought of her brilliant patient. No, he was more than a patient now. Ophira couldn't deny the affection she had developed for him, a brief moment of weakness had led to them sharing a kiss. In one day Edward had gone from her patient with homicidal tendencies to Ophira's protector and possible romantic interest.

Ophira couldn't deny that Edward was no angel, no suave guardian, he was a cold-blooded murderer. She had opened pandora's box, made a deal with the devil. Ophira was playing a deadly game...and she liked it. The realization hit her with a shock and Ophira gasped as she felt her hip give out.

Jonathan was by her side in an instant, helping her to her feet. She dismissed his questions of concern by blaming the fall on moving too fast. She tried to laugh it off but tears were streaming down her face. Unsure as to what to do Jonathan pulled her into his arms. Ophira let the tears fall as she clung to Jonathan, her fingers digging into the starchy material of his shirt. Her thoughts funneled into the same question that repeated in her mind relentlessly.

'Oh god, what have I done?'


	14. CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Wind tickled Ophira's skin as she looked out over uncut wheat fields, the familiar smell of warm grass surrounding her. The sound of wooden shutters clapping in the breeze made her look to see what she knew lay just on the horizon, an old red barn. Ophira ran toward it, letting her fingers brush over the top of the wheat like she had when she was a child. She pulled the old wooden doors to the side and stared at the darkness before her.

Fear entered her belly as she felt the air around her become cold. The wind held an icy chill and the sky filled with ominous inky gray clouds. Sharp drops of rain began to plaster her dress to her skin as a growl of thunder rolled over the plains. Ophira ran up the small steps into the dark barn to escape the impending storm. As soon as her foot hit the threshold of the barn the door slid shut behind her, trapping her in blackness.

"Ophira, my dear doctor, you look frightened." A male voice whispered from the darkness.

"Edward?" Ophira desperately tried to look for him in the blackness.

There was no response but Ophira suddenly felt a gloved hand snake around her waist. She was pulled backward onto Edward's torso.

"Hello, Ophira. Have you missed me?" Edward leaned his head forward over her shoulder and spoke softly into her ear. Ophira's skin erupted in goosebumps at his proximity, her body humming at the contact.

"Edward, please, I can't see anything. I'm, I'm scared..." She squeaked the words out as quickly as possible, feeling out of control in the darkness. Ophira tried to grab for the hand that held her waist but found herself unable to move. Her limbs stuck stubbornly to her sides and resisted Ophira's efforts.

"Don't worry, my dear. We're going to play a little game." Ophira felt Edward step away from her, his hand leaving her waist. A spotlight suddenly illuminated the space where she was standing and she found herself momentarily blinded by the light. She blinked her eyes furiously, attempting to adjust them while she glanced around. Ophira could not see anything outside of the small cone of light that enveloped her.

"Edward?" Her voice was small as she tried to call out for him.

"It will all be over as soon as you complete my simple intelligence test, my dear." Edward's voice carried throughout the room. Ophira felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of the test.

"Edward, this isn't necessary-" A cold laugh cut her off.

"Of course it's necessary, my dear Ophira! How can I court someone who can't even complete a simple test? I have the utmost confidence in you." Edward's voice was jovial but Ophira felt the seriousness of his words.

"What happens if I fail?" Ophira asked, her eyes widening in fright.

"Look down, sweet doctor. Under your feet is a trap door, should you fail it will open allowing you to fall to a most unpleasant death. Unfortunate as it would be it would mean one less feeble mind in our midst." Ophira took a sharp breath in as she saw the outline of a metal door beneath her feet.

"Now that you understand the stakes, let us begin." Edward's voice boomed from all around her, and Ophira shook in dismay. The walls were suddenly lit by hundreds of small, florescent green question marks but there was no sign of her puzzle master anywhere.

The wall in front of her opened to display a list of numbers, each three digits long. Ophira counted at least twenty-five sets of numbers before a list of letters showed up a long side it.

"The puzzle is simple, my dear. Correspond the correct sets of letters and numbers to earn your freedom." Ophira swallowed numbly at the directions and tried to focus on any connections she could decipher. The numbers became fuzzy and the letters soon became obtuse shapes. Her mind was betraying her, abandoning her in a time of need. Minutes passed as Ophira stared desperately at the wall in front of her, her heart beating with a frantic pace.

"I can't do it, I'm sorry." Ophira's voice was small and frightened. For a brief second there was silence before Edward's voice boomed through the room once again.

"Too bad, my dear. Goodbye sweet Ophira." The door opened beneath her and Ophira screamed as she fell.

Ophira woke with a start, sweat beading around her face.

"What the fuck?" She whispered to herself quietly before pulling herself out of bed. The pain in her hip had subsided enough for her to walk. Ophira slowly made her way toward the bathroom but noticed a light from the corner. She wandered over and found her phone with a notification of a missed call from Kari along with a voicemail.

Ophira's brows furrowed as she put the phone to her ear to listen. Kari's voice was quiet and scratchy as the message started. It sounded as if she had just run a marathon.

"Ophira, I'm just calling to say goodbye. You've been an amazing friend to me, you are like the little sister I never had. I'm going to miss you so much. Please don't think less of me when you hear what I've done. There's not enough time to explain but..." Sirens suddenly blared in the background and Kari's voice became shrill. "I'm sorry I have to go but, Ophira, you have to get away from the asylum, it's not safe there anymore! Don't trust-" The message cut off Kari's final words. Ophira stared at her phone in disbelief before playing the message several more times.

"Fuck! Kari, what have you done?" Ophira tried to call her cell but it went straight to voice mail. Ophira paced in front of her bed, ignoring the pain in her side until a soft knock came from the door. She opened it slowly and found Jonathan with tired expression on his face.

"I don't want to freak you out but some shit just went down at the asylum. Emergency meeting for all faculty has been called. We gotta get down there." He was already dressed in his uniform and ready to go.

"Okay, let me throw some clothes on. Do you know what happened?"

"No, it's pretty hush-hush. Think its got to do with one of the doctors. They wouldn't have called in all the faculty if it had been a guard. Hope no one's dead." Ophira nodded numbly before turning around to peel off her nightshirt. Jonathan turned away, embarrassed by her lack of clothes. Ophira pulled on her usual attire and tapped him on the back to signify that she was ready. They rushed downstairs and hopped in Jonathan's truck, rumbling through the sleepy streets of Gotham towards the asylum.

The cafeteria was the only place large enough to hold all of Arkham's staff for the meeting. Ophira found herself stuffed between Jonathan and another guard as they squeezed through the crowd to get closer to the front. As they popped out of the crowd Ophira was finally able to see Warden Sharp standing on a small platform at the edge of the room. His expression was dower as he looked out over the faculty. He raised his hands for silence and the whispers around the room seised.

"I know you are all wondering why I've brought you here today. I am here to tell you that we have been betrayed by one of our own. At approximately 6:30 this morning a level-nine prisoner was released by a senior doctor." The warden paused as the room erupted in hushed whispers once again.

Ophira's insides twisted, she knew how the warden's announcement was going to end. She looked about the cafeteria for Harleen, did she get a message as well? Her eyes widened as she found Harleen grasping Dr. Young's arm against the opposite wall. Ophira tried to catch her eye but Harleen's attention was locked onto Sharp.

"Anyone with any information pertaining to the escape of Harvey Dent or his abetter Dr. Kari Eddes should come forward to the staff. If either of these individuals should contact you, I urge you to call the police and report it. As of now, all sessions between doctors and their patients will be monitored by a guard. We cannot afford to have another escape. That is all." Warden Sharp stepped down from the podium and exited out of the side door. The room burst into excited conversations, gossip spreading like wildfire. Ophira felt suffocated by the crowd, quickly pushing her way toward the exit. She burst out of the swinging doors and made her way back to her office.

Intensive Treatment was quiet as Ophira swept through the door. A group of guards and GCPD milled around the suspected escape route used by Kari and Two-Face. Addie greeted her from the small reception desk.

"You missed it, Batman was here earlier. How crazy is that?" Addie shook her head in disbelief while handing Ophira her schedule for the day. She scanned the paper quickly and noticed a new column.

"Is this for the guard appointments?" Addie nodded and sipped on her coffee.

"Been here since seven, I had to add the guards when they were available. I tried to get you some of the nicer ones." Ophira smiled softly at Addie before turning to lean on the desk.

"So Batman, what's he like?" Ophira asked while giving her friend a small look of curiosity. Addie lit up at the mention of the caped crusader.

"Tall, dark and handsome! My god." Addie pretended to fan herself before giggling. A guard gave them a disparaging look from the corner before turning back to the small cluster of men. Addie pursed her lips and looked up at Ophira who had turned to walk toward her office. "Hey, I know you were close with Dr. Eddes. I'm sorry." Addie said quietly, gazing at Ophira with concern.

Ophira felt like a knife had plunged into her chest at the mention of her wayward friend. She turned toward Addie and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, it's not your fault." She gave a small wave of farewell before climbing the stairs toward her office.

Her office was just the same as she had left it on Monday but Ophira couldn't help but feel the atmosphere had changed. Ophira sat in her office chair gently and thought about her friend.

Kari had admitted that she was in love with Harvey at the Christmas Party but why would she break him out? Seemed too risky for her friend unless Harvey was in danger. He must have been next for the experiment, Kari had even said they were looking into him.

Ophira groaned and leaned onto the desk. She desperately needed someone to speak to but Kari was gone and Harleen was upset with her. Ophira knew there wasn't anyone else in the asylum that she could trust. She had never felt so alone.


	15. CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ophira held her head in her hands and watched the clock tick closer to her session with Edward. She steeled her nerves and decided to focus on finding a good topic to discuss now that they would be having company. After ten minutes a small knock came at the door.

"It's open."

The timid guard that had taken Edward away on Monday edged through the door.

"Hey, I'll be monitoring your first session." Terry said quietly while avoiding Ophira's eyes. He had always been a nervous fellow but Ophira felt comfortable in his presence. She leaned forward over the desk and put her hands together, looking up at the lanky guard before her.

"Terry, these sessions are confidential. I need you to promise me you will not share anything said in this room, okay?" Ophira watched him carefully, judging his seriousness. Terry nodded his head and looked just past her forehead.

"Yes, ma'am." He turned to stand near the door, becoming as stiff as a statue. Ophira considered him for a moment before looking at the clock. Edward's escort would be here any minute. As if reading her thoughts a small knock came at the door and Terry moved to answer it.

Edward and Cash stood at the door awaiting permission to enter. Ophira waved them in and watched as Cash fastened Edward to the restraints in the chair. All level-nine inmates were to be forcibly restrained due to the escape.

Edward huffed impatiently as Cash finished strapping him to the chair. Cash gave him a hard look before stepping away.

"You got this, Terry?" Cash glanced at Terry and stepped out of the room before he was able to answer. He seemed to be in a very bad mood this morning.

Edward craned his head to look at Terry who stood just behind him. He narrowed his eyes before facing Ophira again.

"I see we have company." Edward leaned as far forward as the restraints would allow him to gaze at Ophira. "I may have been mistaken but I was under the presumption that there was still doctor-patient confidentiality at the asylum." He hissed quietly, obviously irritated by the intrusion. Ophira gave him a flat look and shook her head.

"I'm sure you've heard about the escape this morning. Rules have been changed accordingly so now we will have Terry-" Ophira gestured toward the lanky guard who was giving his best impression of a statue before continuing "joining us but I'm sure his presence will not effect your the course of your treatment, Edward."

He narrowed his eyes questioningly and raised an eyebrow at her. After a moment he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Ophira took a tight breath in, Edward was going to be difficult today.

"Today I want to talk about your compulsion to use riddles for your crimes. I think it's important for us to explore your fascination with puzzles and other conundrums." Ophira watched Edward carefully, waiting for him to ask her a riddle. He cracked open his eyes to stare lazily down at her.

"Oh, my dear doctor. Our little game is only fun when we aren't being supervised. Wouldn't you agree?" Edward leaned forward again, a small smirk pulling across his face. He gave her a wink before leaning back in his chair. Ophira flushed and sent him a small glare across the desk.

"Edward, these sessions are for your own good. Please try to cooperate."

"Mmm, I must apologize. I refuse to say anything while that buffoon is in here." His green eyes flashed mischievously at her. He was playing with her.

Ophira narrowed her eyes at Edward from the other side of the desk.

"It's very unlike you to keep quiet but if you insist..." Edward shrugged from the chair and narrowed his eyes lazily. "Okay, I guess we can just sit here in silence for the next hour." Irritation bubbled in Ophira's gut as she stood and pulled a file out of a cabinet on the wall. She sat back down and began to file paperwork silently.

Edward watched Ophira intently as the hour ticked by, his gaze was heavy, his eyes lidded as they watched her from across the desk. Ophira couldn't help but shiver every time he caught her eye. His gaze was predatory, suggestive in its nature.

After what seemed like an eternity a rough knock came at the door. Terry opened it to allow Cash inside. Aaron looked terrible, the stress of the morning evident in the creases of his face.

"Alright, let's get you back to your cell Nigma. Terry, mind giving me a hand?" Together they unfastened Edward from the chair. Edward stood slowly, staring at Ophira as he rose. He put his hands out for the cuffs and was slowly pulled from the room. Cash bid Ophira a curt farewell as he closed the door.

"Nigma's secure, lock cell 217." Cash called up to the gate keeper and watched at the door latched into place.

Edward watched him from inside the cold walls, a scowl across his face. Cash narrowed his brows at him before moving on to find the next patient who needed escort. Edward listened to the man's footsteps grow quiet before pulling a small notepad from under his mattress. The confines of the asylum were no longer meeting his needs so he spent the next hour brainstorming opportunities for escape before a small cough came from outside his cell. He looked up to find Frank Boles standing on the other side of the bars.

Edward sprung up from the mattress and made his way to the bars. Frank surveyed the small cluster of cells around them for eavesdroppers before speaking to Edward.

"Hey, gotta call from our guy this morning. I guess your doctor had some company yesterday, the guy spent the night." Boles whispered and raised his brows suggestively. Edward gritted his teeth before motioning for him to continue. "Guess the love birds finally made up." Boles shrugged and moved to pull away from the bars.

"Cho?" Edward whispered, barely moving his lips. His fingers shook as they gripped the metal bars, his knuckles white. Boles nodded and ran a hand through his greasy hair, a sly smile pulled at his mouth. Edward's brows narrowed as he glared at the guard in front of him. "Perhaps I should teach him not to touch what isn't his?" He offered menacingly, his brain whirling with cruel ideas.

"Gonna cost you a handsome fee, riddle man." Boles raised a brow at him. Edward waved his hands dismissively.

"You'll be fairly compensated, Boles." Edward turned away from the bars and began to pace the cell, his chin in his hand. "Guards are working doubles, are they not?" He looked back toward Boles who nodded. Edward smiled and clapped his hands together, his eyes narrowed in devious delight.

........

Jonathan was pouring himself his fifth cup of coffee when Cash walked into the locker room.

"You getting outta here?" Jonathan sipped his coffee and savored the rush of caffeine. Cash huffed before nodding.

"What a day, at least my other arm didn't get ripped off." Cash shook his head before pulling his jacket off with some difficulty. Jonathan gave Cash a wry smile.

"Gotta appreciate the little things working here." Jonathan quipped as he took another long sip from his cup. Cash let out a humorless laugh while he pulled on a leather jacket.

"Well, watch out for yourself, Cho. Shit's been out of control here lately." Cash waved farewell to Jonathan before turning to leave. The locker room became quiet, allowing Jonathan to enjoy the last drops of his coffee in solitude.

The door banged open as Jonathan dropped his mug in the sink. He looked up to see Frank Boles charge in.

"Hey, just the man I was looking for! I'm reassigning you to Intensive Treatment tonight. Earl couldn't swing the double." Frank leaned on the counter next to him, a greasy smile plastered on his face.

"Okay, what block?" Jonathan pulled on his discarded jacked over his shoulders. Frank gave him an apologetic look.

"F block." Jonathan grimaced, F block was where the most unhinged patients resided. They were kept in small square cells next to an electrified floor. Usually a guard detail of three or more was required. Boles raised his hands and spoke again. "I know, I know, those crazies are freaky-deaky but its the most well armed block in the asylum. We couldn't get a third man so it'll just be us. Don't worry, I got your back, Cho." Frank patted Jonathan on the back before the two men made their way towards Intensive Treatment.

The sun was setting over as the crossed the grounds, the sky blood red. Jonathan hated dusk, he had always considered it the death of the day. He frowned and walked faster towards Intensive Treatment, needing to escape the eery light. The metal door groaned as Jonathan pulled it open and allowed Frank to enter before following suit. A familiar doctor stood at the reception desk chatting with the receptionist. Ophira turned to look at the men and gave Jonathan a friendly smile before waving goodbye to the Addie and pushing out onto the icy grounds.

"You and the doctor, eh?" Frank raised his brows suggestively at Jonathan as they followed the hallway to F block.

"No, it's not like that. We're just friends, she's made that pretty clear." Jonathan saw Frank frown from beside him before shrugging.

"Can't get 'em all, can yah?" Jonathan shook his head and allowed the door to scan him before entering F block. The hairs on his arms stood on end as the sounds of clicking teeth and skin on metal and glass hit him. The inmates in here were the result of failed experiments, a complete secret from the public. He tried to ignore their wild eyes and gnashing teeth as he passed them to enter the small locked chamber that lead to small ladder that accessed the guard area atop the cells.

He flashed his name tag in front of the access scanner.

ACCESS DENIED

"What the..." He tried the card again and furrowed his brows when the message remained unchanged.

"Hey Frank, little help?" Jonathan craned his neck to look for his fellow guard and found the cell block empty. "Frank? Frank!" He did a quick lap around the cells in search of Boles but found the block empty aside from the inmates.

"Riddle me this, what touches what isn't theirs and is about to pay for it?" A sharp voice called out from above him.

Jonathan reached to pull his gun but found the holster empty. Panic bloomed in his chest as he realized what was happening. "Riddler-"

"WRONG. The answer is you, my incompetent friend." The Riddler leaned on the railing of the small guard post above Jonathan, a smirk adoring his face.

Jonathan swallowed thickly before speaking. "I don't know what you're talking about, Riddler."

Nigma closed his eyes gently before considering Jonathan, "Of course you don't. I'm not sure if you know much of anything, Cho." He started to pace the small guard post. "Did you really think Ophira would ever love you? She needs someone that challenges her, not some incompetent brute of a guard." Nigma casted a side glance toward the other man.

Jonathan's brows furrowed as he considered Nigma's words. He eyes widened as he realized what he was implying. "You actually think Ophira is going to fall in love with you, Riddler? You're fucking crazy, you're an animal that needs to be put down. She may not think that now but she will, trust me." Jonathan stalked toward the door while calling up to Nigma who had been watching him vigilantly.

The door refused to open as he flashed his name tag before it. Jonathan swore before hearing cold laughter from the guard tower.

"You're even more of a dunce than I thought, Cho." Nigma smiled down at him coldly before taking the small remote that was connected to the electrified floor from his jumpsuit. "No, no, no. You can't leave, I have a little experiment to run." He waved the remote from above Jonathan. "I've never witnessed what 500 amps of electricity will do to a person. I think it'll be a nice learning experience for me. Sadly, I can't say the same for you." Nigma gave Jonathan an apologetic shrug

"Don't do this Nigma!" He searched the room desperately for a place safe from the electric floor plates but it was fruitless and Jonathan found himself staring up at Nigma. He gritted his teeth as he accepted his fate and spit towards Nigma. "She'll never love you, Nigma."

"Well, I believe we'll have to agree to disagree, Mr. Cho. I detest arguing with dead men." Nigma flipped the switch and watched as his enemy writhed in agony, his screams of pain never left his gaping mouth.

The smell of burnt flesh permeated the room as Edward turned off the electricity. He surveyed the charred remains of the guard from the ground. A twisted smile pulled across his face as he turned away, strolling back toward his cell, satisfied with the carnage he had just caused.


	16. CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It had felt like months since Ophira had seen the sun and as she stepped outside to the first clear day of the year she couldn't help but feel relieved. She took several deep breaths, savoring the crisp air of the morning. A small smile pulled across her face as she made her way to her car.

The ride to work was beautiful, well as beautiful as driving from the Cauldron to the asylum could be. Ophira soaked it up, even going so far as driving slower so she could extend the time she had to enjoy the morning before work. When she finally reached the asylum it was half past nine, she was half an hour late for work.

She hurried across the grounds and entered Intensive Treatment, trying not to draw attention to herself as she did so. But as soon as Ophira reached the entrance hall she had to stop, the sound of soft voices and outright wailing was coming from the small staff room to the left. Curious as to what could cause such a ruckus she pushed the door open slowly.

"Ophira!" She was suddenly assaulted with a tight embrace. Addy had wrapped her arms around Ophira's waist, her face streaked with tears.

"What's going on, Addy? You okay?" Ophira carefully extracted herself from Addy's grasp and considered the rest of the room. Several guards and other staff members were in various states of distress, from crying to somber expressions.

"You haven't heard?" Addy choked out, her voice hoarse. A sob wracked her body and she was unable to continue. Ophira patted her back softly, her stomach tight with the feeling something terrible had happened.

"Dr. Zane." Ophira turned to see Aaron Cash standing behind her, his face distorted with grief. Ophira held onto Addy awkwardly and gave Cash a small nod.

"What happened?"

Cash took a deep breath and closed his eyes, composing himself before speaking.

"There was an accident last night. One of the guards...one of the guards was found dead in F Block. Apparently it was an electrical malfunction. Boles discovered him." Cash stopped and looked at Ophira with sad eyes. "Ophira, it was Jonathan."

Ophira gasped. Jonathan couldn't be dead, she had seen him the day before!

"No, no, no. It can't be." Ophira whispered quietly while gripping Addy carefully. She wasn't quite sure who was supporting who now.

"I'm sorry, I know you two were close." Cash reached out to her and rubbed her shoulder carefully. Ophira shook her head as the grief washed over her.

"I need some air, can you-" She gulped before continuing "can you take her?"

Cash nodded, his lips pulled thin. He took Addy from Ophira and watched as she slipped out of the room.

........

It was hours before Ophira could rise from the cold office floor. Her body was exhausted from grief, she could barely stand but she knew it was time to leave. As she pulled her coat from the old wooden desk a small crash echoed throughout the room.

"Fuck." Ophira peered warily towards the source of the noise. Her small cactus lay naked upon the floor, the ceramic pot shattered. "Are you kidding me?"

She carefully scooped the cactus up and into a coffee cup, hoping that the asylum hadn't killed her poor cactus as well. A flash of anger surged through her body as she glanced around at her personal prison. Ophira realized that there was no hope left at the asylum. She would surely die here if she remained.

"I am not going to die here." Ophira whispered angrily, resolute about her decision. She pulled on her coat and grabbed the coffee cup holding her cactus and turned for the door. Her hand was on the handle when she felt that she was leaving something important. Ophira crossed the room and pulled open the file cabinet. A small red folder lay waiting, stuffed with notes and transcripts. She scanned the name across the top before pulling it from the drawer. She held it close to her chest as she fled from the asylum for the last time.

........

Months had passed since Ophira had left the asylum. She had sent the formal letter of resignation as soon as she had arrived back at her apartment. The calls from the asylum flooded in, each one of them ignored. Once she had answered the phone when Harleen's number popped up but ended the call as soon as she realized it was a ploy by Dr. Young to force Ophira to speak to her. Her heart had ached as she blocked Harleen's number, saying goodbye to her last friend.

Ophira found work at the GCPD after answering an ad for department psychiatrist. It took several weeks before Ophira adjusted to the new realities of her work. Gotham's police force was a roiling pit of personalities from the hero type to the grossly negligent. Her new patients were incredibly difficult, in a much different way than her patients at Arkham. Working at the asylum had been like working in a vacuum, patients experienced the same schedule every day. The police force seemed to be the polar opposite. Everyday the men and women of the GCPD were exposed to the most disturbing and vile things that humans were capable of.

Ophira was used to treating trauma related abnormalities but police were stubborn, refusing help until their untreated illnesses resulted in more tragedy. That morning she had met with an officer who had signs of PTSD but simply brushed her off, giving Ophira no choice but to deem him unfit for duty. The decision weighed on her as she returned from lunch, her heart heavy as she made her way back to her office.

"Another one? Jeez, Doc, the whole departments gonna be sent to the mad house before you're done!" Ophira inhaled sharply before turning toward the source of the gruff comment.

"I'm just here to do my job, Bullock. If you don't like it you can take it up with the boss." She gave the senior officer a cold look.

Bullock raised his brows before leaning back in his chair.

"You know, you're not making any friends here, Zane. Better watch yourself." He gave her a pointed look before turning back towards his cluttered desk. Ophira glared at his back before hurrying back to her office. She fought the urge to slam her door, reminding herself of her new policy. Ophira had decided to leave her door open so officers would be more comfortable coming to her during the day. None had taken the offer yet but Ophira wasn't ready give up hope yet.

She flopped into her chair heavily, heaving a sigh. Her new office was a huge upgrade from the old one in the asylum. A beautiful gothic window filled the small room with light, Ophira rarely needed to turn on her lamp. She loved watching people traverse the city in between sessions and often found herself wondering what their story was.

Ophira was pondering a gentlemen in an odd hat when she heard footsteps approach her door.

"Hey, we gotta a guy down in detention who needs an eval. Might need a transfer to Arkham." A young officer stood just inside her threshold. He avoided her eyes carefully, as if worried that she might send him to the asylum if he wasn't careful.

"Okay, I'll be right down." She gathered her materials and followed the officer to the detention center.

An older gentlemen had been isolated in a single cell. He was wrapped in what appeared to be a toga along with a red sash. A small golden wreath adorned his head, emphasizing his bald patch. Ophira found his appearance odd and wondered if he had been arrested at a costume party.

"His name?" Ophira flipped open the notebook she had brought along.

"Maximilian Zeus."

Ophira's brows furrowed and looked at the officer suspiciously. The young man visibly paled under her gaze.

"Not a joke, that's really his name, I swear." He waved his hands in front of his body to emphasis his honesty. Ophira fought the urge to smile at his display and turned toward the man inside the cell. She approached him slowly. His eyes were glazed, a small small adorning his aged face. He didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Mr. Zeus? Can you hear me?" Ophira watched him carefully from outside the cell. His eyes focused slowly at the sound of her voice, his smile only becoming wider at the sight of the woman.

"Greetings, my dear." He approached the edge of the cell and stared at Ophira. "What brings you before the mighty Zeus?"

Ophira blinked in surprise.

"I'd like to ask you a few questions." She paused before he waved for her to continue. "Mr. Zeus, do you know where you are?"

He considered the cell around him carefully before speaking.

"I can only imagine that I have been dragged to hell. Has Hades sent a siren to torture me?" He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously before letting a small smirk settle upon his face.

"I'm not a siren, you are in no danger. Mr. Zeus, do you remember how you got here?" Ophira was attempting to gage exactly how severe his delusions were.

"Not a siren? But you are so beautiful, a true temptation." Ophira felt herself flush at his words. "You must have been sent from the gods, my dear." An officer snickered from across the room, Ophira pretended not to hear. Zeus gave her a flirtatious look before speaking once more. "Unfortunately I cannot remember how I got here. I can only imagine that Hades had something to do with it. No pitiful mortal could take me down." Zeus backed away from the bars and sat on a small steel bench.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Zeus." Ophira stepped from the bars and returned to the side of the young officer.

"He seems to be suffering from some very grand delusions. He should be sent for further evaluation and treatment. I'll get the papers ready." Ophira walked up the stairs that led toward the main hall. She was nearly knocked over when an officer carrying riot gear rushed past her.

The whole hall was in a frenzy, phones ringing off the hook. Ophira caught an older officer by the arm as he walked by her.

"What's going on?" The officer turned and gave her a serious look.

"Breakout at Arkham." He shook her off and hurried towards the operations center. Ophira glanced at the screen barely visibly through the tinted windows.

ESCAPE AT ARKHAM

JOKER; TRAVELING WITH UNKNOWN FEMALE

CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

"Unknown female?" Ophira whispered and watched as more updates flashed across the screen.

SCARFACE; SPOTTED IN THE CAULDRON

APPROACH WITH CAUTION

The screen showed the balding man and his puppet near the docks. Ophira shook her head and considered moving to a safer neighborhood. She was just about to turn away from the screen but a familiar pair of green eyes flashed before her. Ophira took a tense breath as her old patients mug was presented before her.

RIDDLER; WHEREABOUTS UNKOWN

APPROACH WITH CAUTION

Ophira sat down heavily, occupying Harvey Bullocks well worn seat. Her chest was heavy at the sight of Edward's face. Her mind raced at the thought of his escape.

"He won't come for you, Ophira. He has probably already written you off." She thought to herself wearily. Her stomach turned at the thought.

Ophira shook her head and rose from the chair. She returned to her office and found herself at her window, looking out upon the city below. She half expected to see Edward wandering through the streets, a green bowler cap bobbing through the night.

"He's not coming for you, don't worry." She whispered quietly, watching the police cars zoom away from the station. Ophira knew that they wouldn't catch him, not without the help of the caped crusader. She was secretly satisfied at the thought.

Ophira shook her head softly and turned away from the window. She sat in her chair and pulled out the only file she had taken from the Asylum. Ophira flipped through it lazily, she knew all of the pages by heart. She felt the faintest of smiles rise to her lips as she read Edward's words. Her heart skipped a beat as Ophira realized what she was doing. She pushed away from her desk and stood suddenly.

"Oh god. You miss him." She bit her lip softly before placing a hand across her face in agitation.

"You fucking miss him."


	17. CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The station did not settle down for the next several days. In fact the whole city was still abuzz, the news outlets could not get enough of the mysterious woman seen with the Joker. Every newspaper had printed outlandish theories about the lady but it seemed no outlet had the truth. Ophira had been too preoccupied to pay much attention to the stories and had mostly forgotten about the woman until Harvey Bullock payed her a visit a few days after the breakout.

"Hey, Doc, need to ask you a few questions." Harvey leaned against the frame of the doorway and gave her a beckoning look. Ophira sighed and rubbed a hand down her face.

"May I ask why? I'm a bit busy." Ophira gestured to the stacks of papers on the desk before her.

"It's about your time at the asylum. The topic is...sensitive. I'll explain more when we get to Gordon's office." Harvey looked over his shoulder and sent a scowl to the gaggle of officers who had been pretending to work while eavesdropping.

"Gordon? Commissioner Gordon?" Ophira stood from her chair and crossed the room to follow Harvey.

"Who else?" Harvey gave her an irritated look as the walked to the commissioner's office. Ophira's brows furrowed but she resisted the urge to ask him more. They soon found themselves before the grizzled commissioner. Harvey remained standing but urged Ophira to sit.

"Ah, Dr. Zane." Gordon leaned on his elbows and considered the woman before him. "Sorry about the inconvenience but we believe that you might be able to help us."

Ophira crossed her legs and held her hands in her lap.

"Well, I will try to assist you to the best of my ability but I'm not completely sure why I'm here." She twiddled her fingers nervously, feeling like she had been summoned to the principal's office.

"You're not in trouble, we just want to ask you some questions about an old work aquantience. Are you familiar with a Dr. Harleen Quinzel?" Gordon pulled a picture of Harleen from a folder before him. The happy face of her old friend gazed up at her. Ophira's brows furrowed but she nodded slowly.

"Yes, we were friends. Lost touch after I left the asylum." Ophira swallowed nervously and looked at the commissioner. "Did something happen to her?"

The commissioner gave her a solemn look, the lines of his face creasing in displeasure.

"We're not sure, Dr. Zane. That's what we're trying to piece together." Gordon sighed before continuing "Was Dr. Quinzel acting strangely before you lost touch?"

The room was silent as Ophira thought back to her time at the asylum. She took a breath before speaking again.

"She was very excited about her new patient assignment. So much so that it drove a wedge between us." Ophira shifted uncomfortably in the seat.

"Do you remember who the new patient was?" Bullock addressed her gruffly from the edge of the desk.

"Yeah, it was the Joker. I didn't think that she was ready for such a...difficult patient. She got upset and we haven't really talked since." Ophira felt a pang of sadness settle in her stomach and looked down at her hands.

Bullock and Gordon exchanged curious looks before considering Ophira again.

"Dr. Zane, did Harleen ever exhibit any violent tendencies?" Gordon pressed his elbows into the desk and watched her carefully.

"No, no. She was always gentle and kind." She said softly, looking up to see Gordon across the desk. He pursed his lips quietly.

"Dr. Zane, you have heard that the Joker is traveling with a woman. We have good reason to believe that woman is Harleen." Ophira inhaled sharply. Harleen was the mysterious woman? "She goes by a different name now, Harley Quinn. She's dangerous, Dr. Zane, I would suggest staying with a friend until she is caught."

Gordon stood and gestured for Ophira to do the same. He patted her back as he escorted her to the door.

"I'm sorry about your friend, Dr. Zane." Ophira nodded quietly before leaving the room.

........

Ophira found it difficult to get much done after the meeting with the commissioner. She spent the rest of her work day staring outside her office window, watching the city transition from day to night. The station became quieter and quieter as the day crew was replaced by the ever watchful night crew. No natural light was left in the sky by the time Ophira left the station.

She slipped into the drivers seat of her old car and turned the key quietly. The engine sputtered and died. Ophira tried the again and the car refused to start.

"No, don't do this to me, not now." Ophira leaned against the steering wheel quietly. She slipped the keys from the ignition and climbed out the car and headed for the exit to the parking garage. The street was nearly empty as Ophira headed toward the subway station. As she neared the platform she saw a large sign plastered over locked gates.

SUBWAY SERVICE HAS BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO ARKHAM BREAKOUTS

Ophira threw her head back and let out a groan. Her apartment was fifteen blocks away, over an hour walk. She was reaching for her phone when a taxi turned the corner. Ophira waved to the driver and was relieved when the car pulled over to allow her entry. She slid into the backseat and buckled herself in.

"Thank you for stopping." She said quietly and the driver gave a quiet nod. He was an older man, a collar pulled up high around his face. The car began to pull back onto the main road, heading north.

"Can you take me to the Cauldron? By the docks please." The driver gave another nod and guided them carefully through the streets. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

The car slowly came to a stop at the dock's metal gates. Ophira reached for her wallet but saw no ticker for fare. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Excuse me, how much do I owe you?" She asked quietly while unclipping herself from the seat. The driver shook his head and didn't turn towards her.

"No charge." A heavy accent lined his words. He slowly reached for something in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "You take this." He held it over his shoulder, his body still facing forward. Not knowing what to do Ophira carefully plucked the envelope from his hand. The paper felt rich and luxurious in her hand. She flipped it over and let out a gasp when she saw what was on the other side. A small green question mark left little doubt as to who had sent it.

"What is this? Did he send you?" Ophira felt her hands begin to tremble, adrenaline rushing through her veins at the sight of Edward's signature. The driver put his head down and began to shake his head.

"Take, please." The driver's words were measured but Ophira could see his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. "You take. I live. Please."

Ophira inhaled sharply.

"I'll take it, don't worry." Ophira reached for the door and opened it slowly. She climbed out shut the door with a click. As soon as the door was closed the taxi peeled off, disappearing into the night.

Ophira's hands were still trembling by the time she had reached her apartment, her keys bumping noisily against the lock. She had to take a deep breath before she could still her hand enough to fit the key into the lock. Ophira rushed inside after the door opened and locked it before taking the envelope out of her pocket.

She carefully peeled the parcel open and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. The handwriting upon the paper was unfamiliar but Ophira knew it had to be Edward's.

_My Dear Ophira,_

_I would be honored if you would accompany me to dinner on the evening of Feb. 14th. We have much to discuss. Time and location have been attached._

_Sincerely,_

_? ___

Ophira took a shallow breath before sitting down. She read the letter several times, not quite believing it was real. Her fingers were still shaking after she finally put the paper down. 

"Should I call the police?" She murmured quietly before rising from the chair to pace. She pulled the phone from her pocket and dialed 911 but hesitated before completing the connection. She bit her lips as she considered the possible repercussions. Edward wouldn't let himself be taken by the cops easily, someone would die. She thought of all of the young officers at the GCPD just starting their lives. She swallowed nervously before setting her phone down. 

Ophira put her hand over her mouth in thought. One date was unlikely to kill her and Edward had never acted violently in her presence. In fact, Edward had actually saved her on more than one occasion. A small smile crept onto her face as she thought of the time they had smushed together in the vent in order to escape Killer Croc. How ridiculous they must of looked. 

"Perhaps there is good in him." She whispered softly, her fingers reaching for the letter. She read it again and again, memorizing the short sentences. The sound of his voice echoed in her mind, reading the words to her with his signature tone. Ophira could almost see the hint of a smirk that he must have had when writing to her, he had always been smirking. Her smile widened and the fear she had felt earlier was replaced by a perverse excitement and a desire to see Edward again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As you all know this story takes place pre-Arkham Asylum but it is about to enter the Arkham Asylum timeline. Keep a lookout for events leading up to the Arkham storyline (fire at Blackgate, etc). This story was created with the help of the Arkham Asylum patient tapes, if you listen to Edward's his doctor is Dr. Young. For this storyline Edward is transferred to Dr. Young after Ophira quits and those tapes take place between Ophira's exit and Edward's escape. Give them a listen, they are very good and available in full on youtube. They also contain a huge hint as to where the date will take place.


	18. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the extended and extra smutty version of the original. Enjoy!

"Right this way miss." A young waiter led her down a dark hallway. She followed him quietly, fighting the nerves that were waging war on her insides. He opened a door to a private room, allowing Ophira to enter.

The small room was dimly lit, the lights muted to allow more ambiance. A single table stood in the middle of the room, accompanied by two plush chairs. The waiter pulled out one of the chairs for her, motioning for her to sit.

"Thank you." She slipped into the seat quietly and stared at the empty chair across from her. Where was Edward? What if he never showed up? Her heart quickened at the thought but Ophira was unsure if it was from disappointment or relief. She took a deep breath to dampen her nerves.

The waiter placed a glass of red wine before Ophira and moved onto filling the empty glass across the table. After making sure that the table was set, the waiter bowed to Ophira politely and left the room.

She took a small sip of the wine, savoring the bitter notes of cherry and oak. Ophira briefly considered emptying the glass to soothe her nerves but dismissed the thought, knowing that she would need her wits about her tonight. A minute passed before Ophira felt another presence enter the room.

"I'm offered to the loved, and also to the dead. I come in many varied hues, most notably red. My pricks are known to pierce the skin, often resulting in wounds that bled. What am I?"

Ophira whipped around at the sound of Edward's voice. She found him standing just behind her, dressed in a dapper emerald suit. He was looking considerably more handsome than Ophira had ever seen him. She almost couldn't recognize him as she considered his perfectly coifed hair and slick suit. The smirk that rested upon his face was the most familiar thing about him, and Ophira began to feel butterflies in her stomach under his gaze.

"Edward! You startled me." Ophira started. Edward winked at her mischievously before presenting her with a beautiful red rose.

"For you, Ophira." Edward spoke softly, uttering her name almost reverently. They held eye contact for a few seconds before Ophira gently plucked the rose from his fingertips, carefully avoiding the thorns. She inhaled the gentle fragrance of the rose before setting it upon the table.

"Thank you, Edward. It's beautiful." Ophira watched as Edward seated himself across from her. He gave her a gentle smile before raising his wine glass. Ophira took suit and raised her own.

"To escaping the asylum." Edward said confidently before clinking his glass upon Ophira's.

Ophira nodded and took a small sip of the wine. Edward watched her diligently, admiring the way her lips wrapped around the glass before taking a sip on his own wine. He gently set his glass down before considering Ophira.

"I must be honest, I have missed you terribly since your departure from the asylum." Edward said softly before taking a sip from his water glass.

Ophira nervously fiddled with her fingers, twisting the cloth napkin that rested on her lap. She took a small breath before speaking.

"I feel awful that I had to leave, Edward. Especially that I had to leave you." She took a small sip of her wine before continuing "But I couldn't stay. Things were going to hell in a hand basket." Ophira gave Edward an apologetic look.

Edward nodded from across the table before lifting his menu. The next few moments were spent in silence before the young waiter arrived to take their orders. Ophira ordered her favorite, eggplant parmesan while Edward chose the spinach tortellini.

"Can I ask what made you leave?" Ophira asked quietly, watching Edward as he leaned his elbows on the table. He let out a small laugh as he considered her question.

"I enjoy the way you make my escape seem less criminal." He rested his head on his palm, his lips pulled into a smirk. Ophira shrugged from across the table. "I was bored, my dear. The only person I enjoyed spending time with had up and left." He looked at Ophira sharply before continuing "After your departure I was handed over to the illustrious Dr. Young. Let's just say it didn't work out. I knew I had to leave." Edward took a generous sip of his wine before gazing at Ophira. "Plus, I hate leaving things unfinished and I can't help but believe that things between us were...unfinished."

Ophira inhaled sharply as Edward reached for her hand. Against her better judgment she allowed him to take it, feeling the warmth of his touch envelope her hand. Edward squeezed her palm and gave her a small smile.

Ophira could feel her heart beating frantically but did nothing to stop the embrace. Edward dragged his fingers softly over her palm, sending a chill down Ophira's spine. Goosebumps erupted on her arms and she looked away from Edward shyly, quite unsure of what to do. She was saved by the sudden appearance of the waiter, who had been kind enough to deliver fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar. Ophira pulled her hand away quickly, allowing the waiter to place the food upon the table.

Ophira thanked the young man and plucked a piece of the warm bread from the basket.

"Do you like the olive oil and vinegar mix?" Ophira asked gently, dunking the small hunk of bread into the mix. "I've always found it a tricky thing to master. You have to get the perfect quantity of oil and vinegar or it ends up too bitter. I must admit balsamic vinegar is not my favorite."

Edward smiled at her from across the table and nodded. He reached for his own piece of bread before speaking.

"I happen to be a huge fan of quality balsamic vinegar. Fortunately for us, this place has the best in the city. Perhaps it will change your mind?" He swirled the small hunk of bread around the oil and vinegar plate, allowing the flavors to absorb before taking a bite. Ophira laughed quietly at the performance, and took a sip of wine. Edward raised his brows at her questioningly.

"You did that with such finesse, Edward. Color me impressed." Ophira raised her eyebrows playfully and gave him a small smile. Edward leaned back into his chair and smirked.

"I like to put care into the things I do, my dear." Edward pulled another piece of bread from the basket and quickly placed it into her hand. "Let me show you how to dip bread properly. Essential life skill." He gave her a small smirk before placing his hand gently upon her own. Ophira shifted at his touch but allowed him to guide her hand clutching the bread down to the plate. He slowly pulled her hand around the dish, mimicking the movement he had done before. Ophira smiled despite her nervousness and took a small bite when Edward released her hand. The bread was the perfect mixture of the oil and vinegar.

"Mmm, you're right. Definitely an essential life skill." She put the bread down and let out a small laugh.

"What, too much?" Edward pretended to look embarrassed at his blatant flirtation but gave Ophira a cheeky wink. He leaned on one elbow, a smirk pulled across his face.

"No, no. It's fine." She smiled demurely before taking another bite of the bread. Ophira was beginning to feel a warm tingle from the wine. She crossed her legs beneath the table, tucking her ankles together.

Edward observed Ophira quietly before interlacing his fingers and leaning towards her.

"How are you fairing at the GCPD?" He asked curiously, his green eyes surveying her hawkishly. Ophira looked at him critically before rolling her eyes playfully.

"Of course you would know, I'm not sure what I expected." Edward flashed a small smirk her way. She took a small sip of water before speaking. "It's...different. I'm only there to offer evaluations and minor therapy, a huge change from what I was doing at the asylum. I miss the times where I actually got to treat patients and watch them make progress instead of continually seeing people at their worst. I suppose the trade off is that I never feel like I'm in mortal peril and my coworkers are less likely to be raging psychopaths." She shrugged before sipping on her wine. When she looked up from the glass she found Edward giving her a serious look.

"Ophira, you know that I would never let anyone hurt you." Edward leaned forward onto his elbows and looked at her possessively. "I don't let anyone touch what's mine." He reached for her hand and clutched it firmly, rubbing his thumb across her palm.

Ophira had nearly forgotten her promise and felt her skin prickle at Edward's possessiveness. She bit her lip nervously and pressed her thighs together under the table. A warm tickle of excitement settled at the base of her spine and Ophira desperately tried to blame it on the wine.

"Well, I like to think I can make my own decisions, Edward. You didn't make me promise not to leave." Ophira pulled her hand from his grasp and leaned back in her chair, forcing more space between them. Edward raised an eyebrow at her sudden distance but didn't feel the need to fix it at the moment.

"I didn't think I needed to, Ophira." He gave her a disapproving look before leaning back in his own chair. "A rare instance where I was wrong, my dear."

Ophira shook her head in frustration, how could she forget that Edward was completely full of himself? She grabbed the delicate stem of her wine glass, avoiding Edward's eyes as she lifted it.

"You were being so charming, too." She swirled the scarlet liquid around before taking a large sip. Doubt about Edward crept back into her mind, pushing away the less kosher thoughts about where the night was leading.

Edward sent her a small glare and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the appearance of the young waiter.

"For the lady, eggplant parmesan." The chipper lad placed a rather impressive plate of food before Ophira. She nodded at him thankfully and eyed the plate hungrily.

Edward's expression remained unchanged as his tortellini was delicately placed in front of him. The young waiter pretended not to take notice of the sudden change in atmosphere and happily refilled the wine glasses before taking his leave.

"I apologize, I understand that my self-assurance can be...off putting to people." Edward gave Ophira an apologetic look before tucking into the tortellini. Ophira set down her own fork and considered Edward carefully. Apologizing about his arrogance was a step in the right direction.

"You're making progress, Edward. Perhaps your treatments with Dr. Young were beneficial." Ophira felt a small tinge of jealously at the thought. Across the table Edward shook his head.

"Dr. Young was abhorrent. Her agenda is not about helping her patients." Edward scowled at the thought of the red haired doctor.

Ophira smiled down at her plate, secretly satisfied. She took a small sip of the freshly filled glass of wine.

"You're not wrong, Edward. She was a terrible doctor as well as a complete bitch." Ophira took a bite of her eggplant and savored the delicious flavor of the herbs.

Edward laughed quietly and sent her a smile. "I don't recall ever hearing you speak that way about anyone." He looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if trying to figure out who she really was.

"I'm not a saint, Edward." Ophira smiled at him playfully before taking a sip of their wine. Edward raised his own glass to salute her before taking a sip.

.......

"Aren't you worried about being seen?" Ophira asked quietly as she watched Edward slip into his overcoat. He shook his head before stepping to right of Ophira and placing his hand upon her lower back. He smiled at her silkily before leaning to down to her ear.

"Concerned about me?" His breath tickled the skin of her neck, causing a shiver to run down Ophira's spine.

Ophira raised her shoulder and glanced up at him quietly. His eyes were narrowed at her in questioning but his lips were pulled into a small smirk. A rush of desire coursed through her abdomen at the sight of him so close to her. She swallowed nervously before speaking.

"Yes, I couldn't tell you why but yes." She edged closer to him, angling her face towards his. Edward gently used his free hand to cup her face before leaning down to meet her lips. Ophira reveled at his touch, the softness of his lips, the gentle caress of his hand.

The kiss was gentle and more exploratory than anything. They were both testing each other's boundaries. She smiled at him softly as he pulled away. His eyes narrowed at her happily before gently guiding her out of the small room. They used the back exit to come out into an alley where a taxi was waiting for them.

Edward held the door for Ophira and slipped into the backseat after her. He set his hand on her thigh gently, kneading the skin there. She flashed him a flirtatious smile before speaking.

"Where to, Edward?" He smirked at her before narrowing his eyes in thought. He pressed a finger to his lips before turning toward her with a suggestion.

"Well, I was planning on taking you dancing but perhaps you have something else in mind?" He leaned toward her, green eyes surveying her wolfishly. She smiled shyly and looked away.

"Mmm, that sounds lovely, but I'm not sure I can dance with my shoes." She said quietly, pretending to fiddle with a button on her jacket. She could feel Edward's eyes upon her, awaiting her suggestion. "Perhaps we can enjoy a nightcap at my place?" Ophira turned back toward Edward and smiled demurely. Edward's face broke into a wolfish grin and he leaned forward to capture her lips.

The kiss was fueled by desire, rushed and hungry. Ophira felt his hand creep up her thigh and she subconsciously pushed her hips toward him, a small moan forming in her throat. Edward deepened the kiss and moved his hand higher, his fingers playing with the small bit of lace on Ophira's underwear.

"Mmm, Edward. Not here." She pulled away from him and slowly repositioned his hand to her lower thigh. He surveyed her silently before laying a kiss upon her cheek and leaning back into the seat, a satisfied grin stretched across his face.

Ophira turned toward the driver, suddenly embarrassed about the rather explicit display of affection. She was just about to tell him her address when she recognized the driver. Her stomach dropped as she remembered the poor man begging her to take the envelope out of fear for his life. She looked at Edward critically, suddenly very away of how dangerous the man next to her was.

He caught her glance and frowned. "Ophira?"

Ophira shook her head softly and opened the car door. She had begun walking away from the car when Edward scrambled out after her. He was in front of her in a few long strides.

"Where are you going?" He didn't sound angry, but there was an edge to the confusion that lined his voice. Ophira kept her head down and crossed her arms across her chest. A minute passed before she gathered the courage to speak.

"My car didn't just choose not to start that night, did it Edward?" Ophira asked quietly, eyes still pointed toward the ground. Edward threw his head back in frustration and sighed.

"Ophira-"

"And the taxi driver, he just happened to have a note for me. Did you threaten him, Edward?" Ophira lifted her head, suddenly furious. She glared at him coldly.

Edward took a deep breath, eyes narrowed in irritation. He placed a hand on her upper arm which she immediately tried to shake off. He felt his self control slipping.

"Please, Ophira. He is no one. An old man with a habit, Gotham would be better without such an imbecile." His words cut through the air, sharp as a blade.

"Edward, it's wrong. It's all wrong. You manipulated me!" Ophira unfurled her arms and poked Edward in the chest. Her body began to shake with indignant rage. "You made an old man fear for his life! Tell me, Edward, what else have you done? What else have you done to make sure that I did exactly what I wanted you to?" A tear slipped down her face as she glared at the man before her.

Edward put up his hands and pulled Ophira's wrist away from his chest. He couldn't believe how the night had unraveled so quickly. He huffed angrily before pulling Ophira toward the taxi.

"No, answer me!" Ophira desperately tried to pull her wrist away but found Edward's grip too firm. He turned on his heel, and stared at her incredulously. Ophira's hazel eyes were wide with anger.

"Are you not here of your own accord? You seemed to be enjoying yourself, my dear." He pulled her towards him, forcing Ophira against his chest. She glared up at him defiantly, still struggling to be released from his grasp. Edward reinforced his dominance by wrapping his other hand around her back. He leaned down to rest his head upon his shoulder.

"Tell me, Ophira." His voice was barely a whisper as his breath ghosted across her neck. "Tell me, did you not want to see me again?" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Did you not want me to kiss you? Hmm?" He brushed his lips across her neck, feeling the warm tender skin there. Ophira shivered and gasped for breath. A small smirk tugged across his lips at her reaction. "Tell me, my dear Ophira, did you not want me to _fuck you?_ "

"Edward-" Ophira tried to push against him but Edward just held her tighter. A rush of heat pooled in her pelvis, reinforcing Edward's point. She flushed, her skin burning in the chilly February air.

"Because I wanted those things, Ophira. I wanted them _desperately._ " Edward pressed his face into her neck, inhaling her scent. "You are mine, Ophira." His whisper was barely audible against her skin.

Ophira stopped struggling and considered Edward's words. The anger at his obvious manipulation still burned inside of her chest but she couldn't ignore what he had said. She had made the choice to be there that night and never tried to stop his advances. Perhaps the problem did not lie with Edward but with herself. Ophira had been trying to ignore her feelings for too long and now she couldn't help but feel that they had passed the point of no return.

"Edward, take me home." She whispered quietly against his shoulder. "Please."

Edward lifted his head and considered Ophira before gently guiding her toward the car. He did not try to engage her as they rode back toward her apartment, instead leaving Ophira to her thoughts.

The taxi pulled to a stop outside the brick building Ophira called home. Edward opened the door for her, stone faced as she passed him to enter the building. He watched her walk toward the entrance and pause as if she had forgotten something.

Ophira turned to look back at the man she had spent the evening with. It had been years since she had been treated to such a wonderful date, even if it was with a man with homicidal tendencies. Indecision gnawed at her insides.

Edward gave her a terse nod before turning to get back into the cab. Ophira couldn't bare watch him leave.

"Wait!" He turned back toward her, a peculiar expression on his face. Ophira quickly made her way toward him. Edward waiting silently for her to explain, his green eyes scrutinizing her every move. She played with her fingers nervously before speaking. "I can't help but think things would be left...unfinished if I let you leave."

Edward face broke into a smirk and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that so? Well, we certainly can't let that happen." He snaked an arm around her waist and motioned for the taxi to leave. Ophira led him up the stairs to her apartment, feeling her excitement grow at every step.

She made quick work of the locks and opened the door to her little home. Edward stepped inside behind her and pressed the door closed, taking care to lock it. Ophira turned toward Edward after throwing her keys on the table and taking off her overcoat.

"It's not much but-" He didn't let her finish before quickly taking her into his arms and pressing his lips upon her own. He slid his hands beneath her dress and grasped her ass, lifting her from the floor and carrying her to the bedroom.

Ophira gasped as he dropped her upon the bed before planting his arms beside her body. He quickly pressed his lips to her neck, savoring the delicate skin there. She threw her head back in pleasure, allowing the sensation to fill her with need.

"I've...waited...so...long...for...you." Edward whispered in-between kisses, his breath ghosting across her neck. He sucked gently at the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, making Ophira's back arch.

" _Oh, god._ " The words left her mouth involuntarily, hoarse with desire. She wrapped her legs around his waist, desperate to close the distance between them. The hem of her dress fell forward, allowing Ophira to feel the silky material of his suit against her skin. Edward hissed at the sensation, bucking his own hips to meet her own. Ophira gasped, feeling the evidence of his own desire pressed against her thin underwear.

Edward pulled away from her slowly, enjoying the sight of her breathless beneath him. He slid out of his suit coat and made quick work of the buttons to dress shirt beneath. Ophira watched him reverently, her eyes narrowed with wanton lust as he pulled the final layer off allowing her to see his naked torso. She gently placed her hand upon his chest, slowly dragging her fingers down towards the small strip of hair leading into his slacks.

"Please." Ophira gazed into his eyes as she spoke, her finger resting upon the metal button that fastened the fabric together. Edward's eyes narrowed in desire, a small smirk finding its rightful place upon his face.

"Say you are mine, Ophira." Edward whispered, his voice lower than Ophira had ever heard it. She shivered at the words and bucked her hips unconsciously. He leaned down finding the shell of her ear. "Say it and I'll give you what you want, now and forever." He bit at her ear gently, reveling at the power he held over her.

Ophira's body arched up from the bed as Edward's teeth grazed her ear lobe. She could barely breath, let alone think. The words forced themselves into her throat, coming out rushed and barely audible.

"I'm yours."

Edward raised his head to see her face, raising his brows at the whisper.

"Again, louder. Tell me who you belong to, Ophira." Edward slipped his hand beneath the fabric of her dress, feeling the swell of her breast. He squeezed gently before dipping his fingers beneath her bra to ghost a thumb over her nipple. Ophira threw back her head at the sensation, her fingers clutching desperately at the small button that separated them. " _Say it._ "

"I belong to you, Edward! I'm yours, please, I'm yours!" Ophira sputtered desperately, her legs tightening around his waist. " _Please..._ "

"As you wish, my dear Ophira." Edward grinned triumphantly before making quick work of the button, allowing his pants to pool at his feet. He stepped just out of the circuit of her legs and Ophira let out a growl of desire as she watched him slip out of his briefs, his cock springing free of its confinement. She barely had time to admire his body in the moonlight before he flipped her over, fingers working nimbly at her dress's zipper. Ophira felt the fabric loosen around her body as the dress gave way, allowing Edward to slip his hands around her torso. He pulled Ophira to her knees, forcing her body against his chest. He slowly dipped his head to her shoulder and left a trail of hot kisses that made Ophira tremble with unbridled desire. She closed her eyes in longing and bit her lip as the heat between her legs grew.

"Edward, please..." Ophira rested her head against his shoulder, feeling the coolness of his skin against her neck. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her, matching the furious pace of her own. "Please."

Edward gritted his teeth, barely able to keep control as he felt her hips grind against him. He wanted to savor the moment claimed her but it was proving more and more difficult to control himself. There was a possibility that he would never have as much power over her as he did at that moment and he did not want to waste it.

"What do you want? Hmm?" His words slipped over her skin, breath hot enough to erect goosebumps down her arm. Ophira wiggled against him desperately, her arm reaching back to feel his erection. Edward shivered as her fingers wrapped around his length, it took everything he had not to buck his hips against her.

"You, I want...you." Ophira lolled her head on his shoulder, eyes opening into slits. Edward hissed in pleasure before quickly ridding her of the rest of her clothes and throwing her back onto the bed.

Ophira yelped as she hit the mattress, flipping herself onto her back. Edward eyed her hungrily before crawling onto the bed and laying beside her. He propped himself up by an elbow, his other hand trailing down her torso towards her pelvis.

"Is this what you want?" His voice was hoarse, laced with desire. Edward's fingers slipped past the small mound of pubic hair and entered the wet heat below. Ophira's eyes drifted close as he began to circle his finger around her clit, a rush of pleasure crashing through her legs. "No, look at me, Ophira. I want to see you cum for me." He watched as her eyes opened slowly, their hazel depth's swirling with lust.

Ophira squirmed as Edward brought her closer and closer to the edge, her eyes locked desperately onto his own. She moaned loudly as his fingers worked the sensitive nub between her legs, the sensations growing stronger every second.

"Oh, god." Ophira whispered as she felt the beginning waves of an orgasm threaten to wash over her. "Edward, I'm-I'm so close, oh god...please..." She struggled to keep her eyes open, staring desperately at the man beside her.

"Cum for me." His words were guttural, a demand Ophira couldn't refuse as she felt herself draw closer to the edge. " _Cum for me, Ophira_."

Her hips bucked as the orgasm ripped through her, sending wave after wave of pleasure throughout her body. She grasped the bed sheets as Edward persisted, forcing her to shudder at the feeling of his digit against her clit. Ophira let out a gasp as he finally pulled his hand away, every inch of her skin feeling as if it had been set on fire.

Edward kissed Ophira's forehead before rising to position himself between to her legs. The primitive side of his brain was begging for him to fuck her but he couldn't help but stop to enjoy the sight of her. His beautiful doctor laid bare before him, her hair forming a wild halo around her head. Her eyes gazed up at him longingly, lips parted as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Edward..." Ophira wiggled closer, trying to close the distance between them. She couldn't bear the thought of waiting any longer. Her body was hot at the sight of him above her, his sharp green eyes gazing over her nudity.

He smirked softly before running a hand to her hip, grasping the skin and feeling the bone beneath. He held her in place beneath him, flicking his eyes up to watch her as he obliged her request. Slowly, he pushed his hips forward, a hoarse moan ripping from his throat as he felt his cock enveloped by her slick walls.

Ophira's back arched as she felt him enter her, a gasp escaping her lips. The sudden sensation of fullness sent tingles down her legs, spreading a deep sense of satisfaction that she hadn't felt in a long time. She swung her arms around his neck, steading herself against his body as he began to thrust.

Edward rocked his hips, savoring the feeling of Ophira around him. Her lips were parted, something akin to a moan leaving her mouth every time he pressed inside her. A thrill rushed through him as he realized that she was whispering his name. He growled possessively, and thrusting faster into her heat, feeling the building tension in his abdomen as he neared climax.

"Mmm, don't stop, I'm-I'm so close!" The words tore from Ophira's throat as she felt a knot of pleasure building inside of her. She cried out as Edward fucked her harder, her body shuddering as she found her release. His name ghosted over her lips as she twisted her head back and forth, reveling in the remnants of her climax.

Edward growled as he felt her cum beneath him, eyes fluttering closed as he felt her body clench around him. He threw his head back, moaning her name as he came deep inside of her.

Slowly opening his eyes, he leaned down to kiss Ophira, capturing her lips in a gentle embrace before moving to lay beside her. She turned to her side to face him, mouth pulled into a small smile. He looked at her lazily through half lidded eyes, smirk firmly in place.

"My dear Ophira, smart, beautiful, and kind." He ran a finger down the contours of her body, forcing a small shiver through Ophira's spine. "But most importantly, _all mine_."


	19. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"I'm putting you on paid leave for the next month. I must insist that you seek professional help during that time, I have several physicians I can recommend for you." Ophira slid a small pamphlet over to the officer in front of her. He was the sixth cop she had seen that day. "You are not alone, Officer Collins. Take care of yourself." The grizzled man shook his head quietly and stood to leave, carefully tucking the pamphlet inside of his coat. Ophira stood to escort him out, lips pulled thin as he shambled from the office looking quite worse for wear.

A sigh escaped her lips as sat back down at her desk. Since the breakouts things had been in a state of steady decline, especially the mental states of the officers. Joker had been wreaking havoc all over the city, eluding the police as well as the bat. On top of that Scarface had started unrest between the major mob families, gang shootouts were started to happen with increasing frequency. The only break the GCPD had been given was the silence of the Riddler. But officers with any significant tenure found Nigma's absence alarming. Ophira had overheard several high ranking officers discussing the danger that Nigma posed to the city, especially when given time to plan.

An inkling of guilt settled in her stomach as she thought of Edward. She rose from her desk and leaned against her window seal, staring out into the grey city scape as she thought her illicit lover. Almost a week had passed since they had spent the night together. The morning after she had found her bed empty, the red rose laying upon her table the only reminder of the night's events. Edward had not reached out to her since, leaving Ophira in the dark about where they stood. Ophira had spent the several days in a stupor, quite unsettled about where her life had led her. It took nearly five days before she had felt comfortable enough to put the issue aside and return to her life.

Ophira let out a small sigh before gathering her bag and coat. The workday had finally made its way to a close, allowing Ophira to make her way home. Snow was slowly shifting to rain as February came to an end, leading to a nasty layer of ice over the city. She nearly slipped as she entered her apartment building, cursing her landlord for being too cheap to buy salt.

Ophira counted her lucky stars when she found the elevator up and running. Her luck turned when a meaty arm stopped the doors from closing, allowing said owner of arm into the elevator. Ophira struggled not to scowl as her landlord Billy stood beside her, neglecting to push a floor number as the elevator began to rise. She could smell the booze on his breath and repressed a shudder. He leaned against the mirrored wall and considered Ophira with beady blue eyes.

"Hey there, Doc." His lips pulled into a greasy smile as he greeted her. Ophira gave him a terse nod in return, managing a small smile. She felt his eyes run down her body, examining the less than sexy attire she was currently wearing.

"Looking good." He hiccuped loudly before continuing. "Too bad about your boyfriend. If you ever need someone to warm your bed knock on my door ba-baby." Billy waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively earning a cold glare from the doctor.

"I don't know what you're talking about Billy, I don't have a boyfriend." Ophira gritted her teeth as she waited for the elevator to reach her stop. Billy stared at her for a few moments, allowing silence to settle between them.

"The asshole who tried to assault me in my own building. Heard he kicked the bucket a few weeks back." Billy examined Ophira through narrowed eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

Ophira's brows furrowed and she whipped around to face him.

"Jonathan? How did you know about that?" Irritation was beginning to be replaced by suspicion as she studied Billy. She struggled to understand how he could have known about Jonathan's death, Billy wasn't exactly to type to follow the news, if there even was any. The asylum had kept it all under wraps, only allowing a small obituary to run for one week after his death.

Billy closed his eyes as his smile grew across his face. He shook his head quietly as if he knew something that Ophira didn't.

"Gotta buddy who works at the asylum. Told me about it." He opened his eyes to peer at Ophira knowingly. "Horrible way to go, trust me I've seen some shit ways to die." Billy rolled his head against the elevator wall.

Ophira felt her heart beat quicken. Billy was obviously withholding information. She chewed her lip as she considered a plan to get him to open up about Jonathan's death. The elevator stopped with a jolt as they reached her floor, doors sliding open with a metallic hiss.

Billy made to leave but Ophira grabbed his arm, watching as his brain struggled to process the action.

"Why don't we go to my apartment and have a drink. It's been a long time since I've had company." Ophira lied through her teeth, attempting a flirtatious look as she waited for his answer.

Billy frowned as if he didn't understand her but Ophira watched as her intentions seemed to dawn on him. A sly smile crept across his face before he nodded, allowing her to drag him to her apartment. Ophira could only pray that none of her neighbors witnessed her pushing a drunk Billy through her door.

"Take a seat, I'll grab some scotch." Ophira led Billy to the love seat and gently pushed him into it, watching as he plopped down. She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses, filling them with amber liquid before returning to the living room.

"Cheers." Ophira handed him a glass and clinked it with her own. Billy mumbled a small cheers before taking a sip. She watched him carefully before sitting in the papasan across from him.

Ophira engaged Billy in conversation, encouraging him to tell him about his life. He happily supplied her with the most terrible details about the family business and all the women he had courted while she happily refiled his glass every time it neared empty. Finally the conversation hit a lull, allowing Ophira the opportunity she had been waiting for.

"So, can you tell me more about your friend at the asylum?" Ophira batted her lashes at him demurely, speaking as if she didn't really care about his answer. Billy's smile widened as he regarded her, taking a large sip of the smoky liquid before answering.

"Not really, my buddy stopped paying me after your pig boyfriend died." Ophira's brows furrowed but Billy continued, "Guess he didn't need the info no more."

"Information? What did information did you gather for him?" Billy narrowed his eyes at her quietly, leaning forward in his chair. When it became clear he wasn't going to tell her Ophira had to improvise. "Come on, Billy, he doesn't need it anymore, can't hurt to tell me." The words left a slimy feeling on her tongue as they left her mouth. Ophira leaned toward him, pressing her shoulders together to give him a generous view of her cleavage as incentive. Billy swallowed and stared at her chest. He nodded quietly before speaking.

"He gave me a nice chunk of change to spy on you. Always seemed putout when I told him you didn't do shit outside of work." He took a large gulp of the scotch, hiccuping as the fiery liquid fought its way down. He let his head loll back onto the couch and smiled. "You shoulda seen his face when I told him you had a man spend the night. A fellow guard too."

Ophira grasped the edge of the papasan with an eagles grip. Billy had been spying on her for a guard at the asylum? The circumstances around Jonathan's death suddenly didn't point to an accident.

"Next day, guy was dead and money stopped coming." Ophira had almost stopped listening as she began to consider which guard would want information on her. Billy sat up with a grunt, downing the rest of the scotch in his glass. "But wouldn't you know, just a couple weeks back I get a message from my buddy. Tells me to quit spying and to start sending the security tapes for the building instead. Gave me a weird address, out in Old Gotham. But I send 'em every week. Get payed double now."

Ophira couldn't hide her look of surprise. Who could possibly need the security tapes? She needed to Billy to give up the address if she was to get any answers.

"Billy, how do you know that you aren't sending the tapes to a rival mob member? They could be casing the place." Billy sputtered and shot Ophira a shocked look. Ophira seized upon Billy's uncertainty and continued. "I work for the GCPD, could have a couple officers run it through the database just to make sure it isn't one of Black Mask's boys." Ophira reached out to Billy's shoulder, patting him reassuringly as he considered her words.

"Shit, never even thought 'bout that. Pop woulda probably put a bullet in my head if he found out." Billy let out a heavy groan, before tucking his head into his hands. "Don't like working with pigs, but you ain't a pig." He pulled his phone from his pocket, handing it over to her softly. "Took a picture of the address so I wouldn't forget it, check the photos." Ophira swiped through the photos, groaning as she saw more of Billy than she ever wanted to. She wasn't surprised, he would be the type to send women pictures of his genitals. Finally she came across a blurry picture of a small card with an address handwritten upon it.

Apt 1511

225 O'Neil Ave

Old Gotham

Ophira reached for the small notepad she kept on the coffee table and quickly copied down the address. Billy gazed at her quietly, seeming too drunk to move at the moment. She wasn't going to be able to get any more out of him, and decided to call Mick. The conversation went as it always did, Mick cursing Billy for his drunkenness and Ophira thanking Mick profusely. Mick was kind enough not to ask how Billy ended up in her apartment. She could only hope that Billy was drunk enough to forget that little fact as well.

Ophira spent most of the night sipping what was left of the scotch while considering what to do about the address. It would be easy enough to ask an officer to run the address, there were plenty of rookies willing to do just about anything to help. She just had to avoid the senior officers who had enough sense to know that the station's psychiatrist shouldn't be asking about strange addresses.

 

...........

 

"Hey, Officer Jenkins?" The young man turned to look at Ophira, gulping as he recognized her. He gave her a terse smile and nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am? What can I do for you?" He made to stand but Ophira motioned for him to remain sitting. She leaned against the edge of her desk before pulling the small slip of paper that contained the address out of her coat pocket.

"Can you run this address for me? I'm looking for an old friend that I've lost touch with. I'm worried that something might have happened to them." She was careful not to provide to much information to avoid suspicion. Officer Jenkins nodded, carefully entering the address into the system and waiting as the computer searched for the current tenant's information. Ophira peered over the officer's shoulder, eyes widening as the computer finally presented the information she was looking for.

An older woman's face popped up onto the screen, presenting all of her most current information beside the picture. Ophira shook her head as she realized she had never seen the person before, wondering if Billy had given her the wrong address. She was about to thank the officer and turn away when the strange woman's name caught her eye. Ophira furrowed her brows and carefully copied the name down, sensing something was not quite right.

"Thank you, Officer Jenkins, but she's not the person I'm looking for." Jenkins nodded and cleared the computer, returning to his reports. Ophira made her way back to her office and plopped down in her chair, setting the slip of paper on the desk. She stared at it curiously, examining the odd name.

MAE D. WARDING

"Hmm." Ophira tapped her pen on the desk, holding her chin in her hand. She spent over ten minutes mulling over why it seemed so familiar before it hit her. "Son of a bitch."

Ophira quickly rearranged the letters and took a tense breath as they came together to form an all too familiar name.

EDWARD NIGMA


	20. CHAPTER NINETEEN

Rain pattered Ophira's window as she looked out over a dreary grey building. She had been sitting there for nearly an hour and still hadn't worked up the courage to leave her car. Uncertainty lied ahead. The thought of confronting Edward terrified Ophira.

With a heavy sigh Ophira opened her door and stepped into the rain. She kept her head down as she slipped across the street and pushed the heavy metal door open, gaining entry to the run down apartment building.

The entryway was empty as she quickly made her way to the elevator, desperate not to be seen. Waiting for the elevator seemed to take an eternity, every second made Ophira's heart pound faster. She had no idea what she would say if someone asked her what she was doing there.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator finally reached the lobby, and was equally relieved to find it empty. Ophira chose her floor and spent the short ride in silence until she reached her stop. The hallway was narrow and poorly lit, the brown carpet depressed from constant foot traffic.

She walked down the length of the hallway, passing several doors before reaching one marked 115. Ophira took a deep breath as she considered the plank of wood separating her from Edward. It took several moments before she gathered the courage to raise her hand to knock. The sound echoed through the hallway, her decision to confront Edward sealed. For a few moments it was quiet but before Ophira felt the urge to leave she heard the faint click of a lock being pulled back. The door opened with a soft hiss over the carpet, revealing a rather surprised looking Edward. He narrowed his eyes at her briefly before pulling her inside and locking the door in a few quick movements.

Ophira shook away from his grasp, throwing a glare his way as she turned to face him. His hair was messy, a fine stubble gracing his chin. The sleeves of his white button down shirt had been rolled up, revealing his tenuous arms. He looked as if he had been working on something.

"This is a surprise, albeit not an unwelcome one." Edward quirked an eyebrow at her curiously as he leaned against the door frame. "How did you find me, Ophira?"

Ophira folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing further.

"Does it matter?" Ophira turned away from Edward, taking in the absolute chaos of the apartment. A great desk stood at the center of the room, several computer screens set up across the surface. Papers filled with writing and curious green question marks littered every available space across the desk. The rest of the small room was lined with the odds and ends of a psychopath; bundles of wires waiting to be assembled, a small container of explosive grade chemicals and what appeared to be a box of saw blades. A touch of his insanity was displayed before her, forcing a cold shiver down Ophira's spine.

She tucked her arms tighter around herself as she turned back to Edward. He had straightened up, the curious look now shifting to a suspicious one. He cocked an eyebrow higher, a small frown gracing his lips as he motioned for her to speak.

"How long have you been watching me?" The words felt heavy as they left her mouth. She bit the inside of her lip to stop the barrage of hateful comments that threatened to spill out.

Edward raised his brows, the suspicious look gone from his face, now looking utterly statue like. For a few seconds there was silence before an odd sound cut through the air. Ophira felt goosebumps erupt across her skin as it reached her ears.

Ophira gasped silently, he was laughing at her?

It was cold, knowing, almost sinister in nature. Several moments passed before Edward regained control of himself. The ghost of a smirk lined his lips as he narrowed his eyes at her once more.

"You never fail to surprise me, Ophira." He stepped toward her, closing the distance between them. Ophira wanted to move but felt as if her feet were glued to the ground. His green eyes glinted knowingly as he wrapped his hand around her chin, pulling her face upwards. He leaned forward, lips almost touching her own. The warmth of his breath forced a shiver down Ophira's spine as it spilled across her skin. His eyes locked onto her own, narrowed in question. "The second I believe I have solved the conundrum that is Dr. Ophira Zane, you go and prove me wrong. An admirable feat, my dear."

His lips pressed against hers lightly before he pulled away, allowing Ophira to step out of his grasp. She took a shaky breath before narrowing her eyes at him angrily.

"I am not your toy, Edward!" Ophira hissed venomously as she began to pace the small room. Edward watched her patiently, folding his arms and leaning against a small work bench.

"No, no. Definitely not. You are so much more than that." He regarded her cooly, a bemused expression gracing his features.

"Do you even hear what I'm saying to you?" Ophira stopped pacing and threw her arms out in frustration. "Edward, you can't spy on me! I won't be treated like your property."

Edward gazed at her quietly, face turning to stone. He stood up slowly, taking care not to knock anything off of the bench.

"Or what?" His gaze was piercing as he stalked toward her. His voice was soft, deadly. "What will you do, hmm? Tell me, Ophira. What power do you think you have over me?"

Ophira stepped backwards, desperately forcing distance between them. She could only manage a few steps before her knees hit the table behind her. Edward smirked at her wolfishly as he considered her predicament. He seized the opportunity to place his arms to either side of her, effectively trapping her between him and the table.

"Edward, don't..." She grabbed at his arms, trying to pry him away from the table. He chuckled a low mirthful chuckle before tucking his head into the crook of her neck. His body was flush against her own, the warmth of him seeping through her own clothes. A rush of heat pooled at her pelvis, her body betraying her mind at his touch.

"Will you leave me? Hmm?" His words were hot on her skin, forcing Ophira to take a shaking breath. "Will you turn me in like the criminal I am? Tell me, Ophira, what will you do?" He placed a small kiss upon the sensitive skin of her neck before pressing her against the table with his hips. Edward removed a hand from beside her and brazenly pulled at the button of her jeans, forcing a gasp from Ophira's lips.

"Wait-" Edward bit at her neck as his hand dipped beneath her pants, tugging at the panties beneath. She closed her eyes as his fingers found the sensitive nub between her legs. Her breath left her as he gently circled her clit, digits wet with her arousal.

"Tell me, Ophira, how would you explain how much you liked getting fucked by a psychopath?" His own breath shook as it graced her neck. She bit at her lip and shuddered, letting the sensations wash over her. Edward's fingers quickened as he felt Ophira buck beneath him. "How would you explain how wet I make you? Hmm?"

Ophira threw her head back, struggling to stand as Edward worked at her clit. Her legs shook dangerously beneath her as she drew closer to an orgasm, hating herself more every second.

"Bastard..." Ophira breathed as she squirmed under his touch, drawling ever closer to the edge. Her toes curled as her body succumbed to the inevitable, forcing a small cry from Ophira's mouth. A second passed before Ophira opened her eyes and pushed an unsuspecting Edward away with from her. He fell to the ground with a surprised grunt, shooting a dissatisfied snarl her way as he struggled to his feet.

"Violence is very unbecoming on you, Ophira." He said cooly as he brushed himself off and shot her a wary look. She had yet to catch her breath and was relying heavily upon the table for support, certainly not what Edward would find threatening.

"Fuck...fuck you." Ophira threw a glare his way, hurriedly buttoning her pants in an effort to protect herself. She yelped as he caught her wrist, pulling her hand away before she could finish. He tugged her away from the table, forcing Ophira to lean upon him, one hand wrapped securely around her waist.

"Tempting." Edward growled into her ear, lips almost touching her. "You've already proven that you're ready."

Ophira's cheeks darkened at his words. She hissed, twisting in his grasp but found his grip too strong to break. She could feel the soft rumble of his laughter vibrating off of his chest as he easily kept her in his arms.

"Admit it, Ophira. You _enjoy this_. You enjoy it more than you ever imagined." He lifted his head away from her ear to take in her face. His lips curled into a gentle smirk as he uttered his words, voice soft as a feather. "You love having someone as dangerous as I taking ownership of you. There are no limits to what I would do to keep you to myself. You cannot tell me that doesn't excite you." His words ended in but a whisper and Ophira watched as he closed his eyes slowly, burrowing his chin into her hair.

A cold chill ran down her spine as Ophira realized she couldn't argue his point. The wetness between her legs was a testament to that. But she wasn't about to become his loyal pet. Ophira narrowed her eyes defiantly, their hazel depths as cold as stone. It took several moments before she was ready to speak.

"Would you kill a man?" Ophira felt Edward stiffen against her before pulling his head away slowly. His features were cold, eyes flashing dangerously as he regarded her.

"It seems you already know the answer to that, my dear."

Ophira gasped, and used her free hand to strike Edward across the face. He released her immediately, a clear look of shook evident on his face.

Ophira stumbled away from him, a cold dread filling her chest. She made for the door, twisting fruitlessly at the knob before turning to face Edward. He had been watching, a clear look of frustration written across his features. His cheek had turned an angry red color.

"Did you really believe I would allow him to live after touching what's mine? How could you be such a fool, Ophira." Edward stood straight, emphasizing the height difference between them. He made to step toward her but seemed to think better of it, instead standing well out of her reach.

"He was dead the second he stepped inside your apartment. I cannot abide having a mindless ape like him touching what's rightfully mine." Edward snarled, brows furrowing in disgust. He swung around and placed his fists upon his desk, facing away from Ophira.

"It was nothing, Edward, nothing! You killed Jonathan for no reason!" Ophira fought the urge to throw anything she could reach at Edward. Her stomach twisted sickeningly as she thought of Jonathan. His death had been absolutely needless and it was because of her. The dangerous game between Edward and herself had resulted in an innocent man's death. She had to put an end to it before someone else got hurt.

Edward scoffed and shook his head at her outcry, not bothering to turn around.

"Let me go, let me out of here!" Ophira tried the knob again, finding it just as firmly locked as before. She should have never come here, should have never taken him on as a patient. Jonathan wouldn't have died because of her. The dread inside her had turned her chest to ice, every heartbeat sending further sorrow through her veins.

Edward angled his face toward her, surveying her desperation with mild intrigue. A small frown pulled at his lips.

"If I let you go, what will you do? Will you go to the police and turn me in?" Edward rapped a knuckle on the table before turning around. "Because I can't have that, my dear. As much as I enjoy our little game, I can't have it interfere with my work." He leaned upon the desk, fixing upon her with a small frown.

"Your work? You're insane." Ophira spat, patting her pockets for the telltale bump of her phone. Her fingers shook as she realized that it was gone. The sound of a small chuckle echoed throughout the room, sending a chill down Ophira's spine.

"Looking for this?" Edward held the small phone between two fingers, twirling it playfully before setting it down on the desk with a snap. He shot her a wicked smirk, enjoying her increasing helplessness.

"What now? Are you just going to keep me locked in here forever?" Ophira wrapped her arms around her torso protectively, eyes blazing as she glared at Edward. He shifted quietly, smirk still firmly fixed upon his lips. "You can't do this to people, Edward." She breathed desperately, "you can't do this to me."

"I believe I can, Ophira." Edward leaned lazily against the desk and smirked at her. "I feared something like this might happen so I had your Neanderthal of a landlord fitted with a nice little explosive. If you try to leave Gotham or report me to the police I will spread his barbaric DNA all over the walls." Edward tittered and gave her a chilling smile. Ophira gasped and stared at Edward.

"You're a _monster_." Ophira breathed, a numb horror spreading throughout her veins. The smirk slipped from Edward's face and he straightened up. He tilted his head quietly, green eyes glinting as he surveyed Ophira carefully.

"Are you aware of the number of people he has killed? I believe you already know that he's part of the Irish Mob. He's a menace, a pariah. The city of Gotham would benefit from his untimely demise." Edward turned away from Ophira momentarily and pulled a small switch from the drawer of the desk. He held it up, showing Ophira the small plastic box. "I'll make you an offer, my dear. Rid the city of your bumbling idiot of a landlord and I will turn myself in without delay. One 'monster' for another." He stalked toward her, holding the device toward Ophira, willing her to take it. 

Ophira pressed herself into the wall, eyes darting between Edward and the box he held. It was now close enough that she could see the small red button that sat in the middle of the black plastic. Ophira stood stock still, silently refusing Edward's request. Edward let out a frustrated sigh before moving closer to Ophira. She gasped as he quickly grabbed her wrist and shoved the device into her hand, angling her thumb over the button. Ophira could not struggle for fear of accidentally pressing the button.

"Edward..." She breathed, heart pounding furiously under her skin. He stared at her curiously, as if watching a lab rat comprehend a logic problem for a piece of cheese.

"Ophira, you have two choices. Push the button, kill a murderer and send me back to Arkham. Don't push the button and things remain the same. What do you choose?" He breathed quietly, green eyes glinting dangerously. Ophira didn't move, hardly daring to breath, and for a few moments there was only the sound of the rain pattering against the covered windows.

Her mind raced at the decision that she was being forced to make. Edward's words bounced around her skull, forcing her to consider the possibility of truth in his statement. Gotham would not mourn over the loss of a mobster. Hell, she had no soft spot for Billy, especially after suffering years of verbal abuse during her tenancy. But killing him? She was not an executioner.

"I...can't." Her voice shook as she spoke, the words barely audible. For a few seconds Edward did not react, face unreadable in the artificial light. Ophira tensed as she felt him gently pull the switch from her fingers and place it upon a small shelf beside them. He released her wrist and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an odd embrace. Sobs wracked her body as she grappled with the decision she had made.

"Shh." Edward ran his arm up and down her back soothingly. Ophira rested her head against his chest, letting the tears run freely down her cheeks. "It's alright, I've got you." He pressed a kiss upon the top of her head and rested his chin upon her hair, a small smile curling across his lips.


	21. CHAPTER TWENTY

"Stay with me tonight."

Ophira didn't immediately acknowledge that Edward had spoken, letting silence settle between them. Several moments passed before she worked up the energy to speak.

"Is that a request or an order?" She whispered into his chest. His stiffened momentarily, seizing the calming movements of his hand across her back. He released a quiet sigh before speaking.

"I suppose that would depend on your answer." Edward moved his hand to the back of Ophira's neck, silently rubbing the sore muscles beneath the skin. Ophira exhaled softly, enjoying the gentle movements of his fingertips.

"If I said no?" Ophira opened her eyes slowly. They were swollen from crying, almost painful.

"The door would remained locked." Edward nuzzled his head into her hair, breath grazing the top of her head. Ophira tried to stifle a yawn, exhausted from the emotional turmoil she had just endured. Edward straightened up at the sight, glancing at her wearily.

"I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back, none suffer to have me, but do from my lack. What am I?" Edward stepped back, releasing her from his embrace. Ophira glanced up at him, catching his expectant expression. The last thing she wanted to do was answer a riddle but she mulled over his words carefully before coming the answer she hoped he sought.

"Sleep?" Ophira rubbed at her eyes, willing them to stay open. Edward nodded, satisfied at the answer, before catching Ophira by surprise and lifting her bridal style. She yelped, arms grasping for his neck. "What are you doing?!"

"I thought it was quite clear." Edward carried her past her desk, allowing her to see the small kitchenette tucked behind a wall. They passed two doorways before Edward pushed one open, ushering them into what appeared to be his bedroom. A queen bed stood in the middle of the room, a plain cream colored comforter strewn across the top. Edward set her down gently upon it, shifting the blanket to cover her. Ophira began to protest but stopped when he slipped into the bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her into his chest. She let her eyes flutter closed and listened to the soft sound of Edward's breathing. Sleep's embrace slowly enveloped her mind, allowing her to drift away.

...............

Ophira woke up with a start, panic filling her chest. It took several seconds before she remembered where she was. The bed was empty next to her, Edward must have slipped away while she was sleeping. The room was completely dark except for the small alarm clock that sat next to the bed. It read 3:04 a.m., meaning she had been asleep for almost seven hours.

She yawned and rubbed at her sore eyes, shifting herself out of the bed slowly. Two doors stood on opposite sides of the room, one she assumed must have been for the master bath. The events of the night had left Ophira feeling drained and although the sleep had helped, a hot shower would clear her mind even more. She padded across the room, pushing the door open and blindly searched for the light switch. Her eyes burned as she caught it with her fingertips flooding the small room with light.

The bathroom was neat and clean, albeit a bit small. Ophira pulled the shower's knob, allowing the water to rush out of the tap. She held her fingers under the small waterfall, waiting for the temperature to rise. As soon as the water became bearable she pulled the small metal knob upward, forcing the water to pour from the shower head.

For a while she didn't move and just allowed the water to wash over her body. The strain of the past hours had left her neck sore, the muscles tense with stress. The rivers of water coursed over her back, slipping off to her side or down her legs. After a minute Ophira began to feel her thoughts floating away, leaving only a hint of emotion in her chest.

The shower curtain fluttered beside her, the soft crinkle of curtain tickling her ears. Rough hands curled around her stomach, the flat plane of a chest settling against her back. Edward nuzzled his head into the crook of Ophira's neck, eyes closed in satisfaction.

"How I've missed you." Edward murmured, lolling his head to rest upon her own. "It took everything I had to keep myself from going to you. Each night was torture, knowing you were within my reach." He swept a hand upward, grasping the outline of Ophira's breast.

"You were so beautiful, laid out naked before me. The way you begged me to touch you, to fuck you." His finger grazed his nipple, forcing Ophira to inhale. "Mmm, yes."

"Don't." Ophira curled her back, forcing his grip to loosen. Edward seemed to pause for a second before questioning her quietly.

"Ophira-"

"I _fucking_ hate you." Ophira felt Edward's hands slip from her torso as a heavy silence settled between them. She didn't have to see his face to know he was scowling.

"I understand that the events of this evening have been trying, Ophira. But I refuse to believe that is how you truly feel about me." His voice was quiet but still sharp. The water began to turn cold, echoing the atmosphere between them.

"You have manipulated me from the beginning. You killed a man, a friend, because of your twisted sense of ownership." Ophira shivered as the icy water streamed down her body. "I tried to find good in you, Edward, but there is none. You're cruel and sadistic, Edward, you find pleasure in playing with other's minds. And now, like the fool I am, I have found myself in a sick game of your own design. How could I not hate you for what you've put me through?"

She wrapped her arms around her torso, protecting her chest from the cascade of icy water. Her stomach was in knots as she felt Edward press against her, leaning forward to shut the tap. He pulled back the curtain harshly, nearly ripping the sheet from the metal rod. His control was slipping.

Ophira watched him carefully as he wrapped himself in a towel before grabbing one for her as well. His brow was furrowed, an angry line appearing on his forehead as he turned to hand the towel to her. Ophira shivered and took the soft fabric from him, covering herself quietly as she watched him stalk out of the bathroom.

Even after she was dry and dressed she couldn't shake the numbness in her chest. It took her several minutes to work up the courage to leave the bathroom, uncertain as to which Edward she would find outside. The bedroom was empty, leaving her to assume that he was in the living room. She found him sitting in his computer chair, hand wrapped around his chin, seemingly deep in thought. Edward looked up as he heard her footsteps. The regarded each other quietly before Edward broke the silence.

"You are free to leave." His voice was emotionless, a flat monotone as he gestured to the door. Ophira felt the smallest hint of sadness spread through her chest but did not hesitate, taking her exit without a second look.

....................

"Been awful quiet around here lately." Bullock threw an apple core into the small waste basket with a perfect arch. A satisfied smile spread across his lips as he leaned back in his chair. "Joker must be...uh...distracted by his new lady friend."

Ophira rolled her eyes as she copied her latest session notes. Bullock happened to have the desk next to the copy machine, forcing Ophira to interact with him every time she need to use it. Three weeks had passed since her last encounter Edward, and it seemed that neither he nor any of the other rogues were active. Ophira hadn't heard anything from him since the moment she left his apartment, leaving her anxious to predict his next move.

"Maybe it's the calm before the storm, Bullock. Joker has never been known to be quiet for long." Ophira stapled the first set of notes before leaning against the wall to observe him quietly. He nodded in agreement.

"Could be right. Hopefully that bat freak takes care of him before we have to." Bullock grabbed a toothpick out of his drawer and began to poke bits of apple out of his teeth. Ophira snorted derisively, earning a raised eyebrow from the detective.

"I thought you hated Batman, now you want him to do your dirty work?" Ophira stapled another set of notes.

"Why not? Let the crazies take care of each other for once." Ophira shook her head while she gathered her materials.

"Honestly, that sounds like a mess." She strode past his desk and towards her office, effectively ending their conversation. Ophira ran a finger through the pages, finding one that did not belong to her.

"Where do you belong?" She whispered quietly, plucking the sheet from the rest. GCPD CYBER CRIMES was emblazoned across the top, a clear indicator to its home. The unit sounded so familiar but she had never actually made her way down to where they operated. She shrugged her shoulders and set off towards the basement to return the wayward report to where it belonged.

"Hello?" Ophira pushed the wooden door open uncertainly. Cyber Crimes turned out to be a lot harder to find than she originally thought.

"Oh, hey!" A slightly heavy set man sprung up from a cubicle, a wide smile on his face. He made his way over to greet her, sticking out a hand. Ophira shook it firmly, a polite smile upon her face as she introduced herself.

"Wow, we never get visitors down here. Nice to know someone up there knows about us. Name's Evan by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Evan. I found a report of yours mixed in my notes. I figured I would return it." Ophira held the page out to Evan who took it and threw it onto a pile without a second glance. "Is it just you down here?"

Ophira glanced around, taking in the amazing organizational structure lining the walls of the room. Hundreds of stuffed binders were color coded across the shelves, however it seems that they hadn't been touched in years as a stubborn layer of dust had settled across them.

"No, Clark works down here as well, he should be back any second from his break." Ophira nodded quietly but not before noting a third desk. 

"Do you guys not use the binders anymore?" Ophira pointed to the color coded stacks before moving towards them, Evan following closely behind.

"Uh-"

"No. We don't. Too hard to keep up with, easier just to use a computer." A gravely voice joined the conversation, Ophira turned to see an older man entering the room.

"Clark, this is Ophira. She works upstairs. Ophira this is Clark, he's the head of Cyber Crimes." Ophira nodded at Clark politely. He gave her a wry smile in greeting.

"Who set this up? It's very impressive." Ophira pulled a green folder from the shelf, brushing the dust off. She opened it quietly, flipping through the closed cases. The pages were full of hastily scribbled notes.

"The last department head. Man was a real genius. Haven't solved half as many cases since he left."

Ophira furrowed her brows curiously, placing the binder back into it's proper place.

"What happened to him?" Clark and Evan shared a look before either of them spoke.

"He, uh, kinda went nuts. Before that we knew 'em as Edward Nashton but you may know him as the Riddler. Too bad really." Clark shrugged. Ophira's mouth fell open, how could she forget that Edward had worked there? They had never gotten to it in their sessions but it had been a topic of interest she had been keen to explore.

"What was he like?" Ophira turned to face them. Evan shook his head but Clark answered.

"Brilliant. Arrogant. Dedicated. He was very serious about his work, once he had a case he wouldn't let it go until he solved it. Good trait in a detective. Worked us all to the bone but made sure we were paid well for it." Clark wiped a bit of the dust of the shelf with a rag. "Under him we were able to put hundreds of creeps behind bars. Dealt with some real nasty cases too, human trafficking, kiddie porn, you name it. The man did some real good before he went bad."

"What happened?" Ophira asked quietly, folding her arms across her chest. Clark released a heavy sigh and regarded Ophira with tired eyes.

"Cyber Crimes wasn't enough for him anymore. One day he came in with all of these files, basically extortion files, on the highest people Gotham's government. He couldn't focus on anything but bringing them down. He really took a turn, becoming more and more hostile and violent. Calling us all idiots for not seeing the big picture. I was the only one left by the time he was arrested." Clark shook his head quietly. Ophira let silence settle between them for a moment before stepping away from the shelves. She gave them a quick goodbye but not before promising Evan she would visit again.

Clark's words weighed on her for the rest of the day, forcing Ophira to consider the fact that there was still a lot she didn't know about Edward. And the thought did not comfort her.


	22. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's rough hate sex in this chapter, some people might find it to a have questionable consent. I did not write it to have this effect.

"Dr. Zane, there is a man in reception asking for you." Ophira furrowed her brow as she held the phone up to her ear.

"Did he give a name?" She shuffled through her reports that littered her desk, eyes narrowed as she eyed the mountain of paperwork that need to be sorted through.

"Yes, a Mr. Cash? Are you familiar with him?" Ophira's brows raised in surprise. She set her work down and leaned back in her office chair. An uneasy feeling filled her chest as she remembered the asylum.

"I know him, send him to my office." She set the phone back into it's cradle and stood to meet her old colleague at the door. Ophira leaned outside the doorframe to see Aaron's familiar head bobbing up the stairs in her direction.

"Long time no see, Aaron." She offered warmly as he made his way to the landing. His brown eyes crinkled kindly but Ophira could see the weariness behind the stare.

"Dr. Zane. Good to see you, although I wish it were under different circumstances." Ophira frowned as he passed by. She closed the door behind him and made her way back to her desk.

"What's going on?" Aaron sat in the wooden chair across from her, eyes closed as if he were finding the right words. Ophira felt a pit of anxiety settle in her stomach at the sight.

"It's...it's about Jonathan." Cash looked at her wearily, wrinkles quite prominent across his forehead. Ophira felt the inside of her mouth turn bone dry at the mention of her old friend's name. The revelations from the previous month flashed across her mind. Edward had killed him. Edward had killed Jonathan for her. Her fault.

"Jonathan? What about him?" Ophira leaned toward Cash, trying to keep her expression steady. He shook his head quietly, looking almost defeated.

"Look, something ain't right about his death. I just can't believe it was an accident." Cash shifted in his chair before fixing Ophira with a hard stare. "Those electric floor panels were put in less than a year ago. There's no way they just went off by themselves." He shook his head wearily.

"So, what do you think happened?" Ophira asked quietly, trying the quell the panic that ate at her insides. The urge to tell Cash everything suddenly washed over her, to relieve herself from the burden no matter what the consequences. But the words refused to come.

"I don't know, problem is I can't really think of anyone that would have both the motive and the ability to kill him. The administration is trying to keep it all quiet so it's been no use trying to talk to any of the other guards about it." He let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "I know you two were close, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least ask you. Do you know if Jonathan had any enemies? Anyone with reason to kill him?"

Ophira dug her nails into her thighs to stop herself from screaming that it was her fault Jonathan had died. She steeled her nerves and persevered.

"No. I'm sorry." She frowned and offered the most convincing apologetic tone she could muster. Cash was still for a moment before nodding.

"Well. I tried, maybe I'm just getting paranoid in my old age." He stood quietly and Ophira followed suit, she led him to the door and held it open. An officer quirked an eyebrow at her as he strode by, seemingly startled by her sudden appearance in the doorway.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help you more, Aaron." Ophira patted Cash on the shoulder and sent him on his way. A cold dread weighed on her abdomen as she watched his hulking form disappear from view. The familiar feeling of hollowness filled her chest, reminding her of just how alone she really was.

 

..............

 

"Getting off?" Marty, Ophira's elderly neighbor held the door for the doctor. She blinked quietly before thanking him and blaming her lack of awareness on the long day at work.

Her shoes padded against the old carpet of the hallway as she made her way to her door.

"Shit." Ophira dropped her small ring of keys as she struggled to unlock her door. She bent over to grab them and hurriedly stuffed the key into the lock. The familiar click allowed her to push her way into her apartment and lock the door behind her.

She stopped short as she was greeted with the smell of food. Someone was in her kitchen. Someone was in her kitchen! She plunged her hand into the pocket of her doctors coat and withdrew her phone, fingers shaking as she dialed 911 as quietly as possible.

"Hello, my dear." The familiar voice carried into the entryway, stopping Ophira from pushing the call button. Edward strode around the corner into the living room, a confident smile upon his face as he spotted Ophira. He donned a emerald button down shirt and sharp black slacks, both fitted perfectly to his form. Ophira couldn't help but feel underdressed in her frumpy sweater and doctor coat combination.

"Edward. What are you doing here?" Despite her best efforts the words still came out sharper than she intended. Edward's eyes flashed dangerously before he stepped forward to take her coat, and phone, from Ophira. She shivered as his fingers plucked the white coat from her shoulders and off of her arms. Ophira could almost feel his smirk at her reaction to his touch.

"It's been awhile since we last saw each other. And I won't deny we didn't exactly part on the best of terms." He hung her coat of the hook next to the door before turning back toward her, arms crossed over his chest. Ophira nodded in agreement, a small frown fixed upon her face as she examined him.

"I can't say that I'm pleased to see you, Edward. Not after the last time." She gave him a firm look, her hazel eyes unforgiving. He quirked an eyebrow at her, green eyes more curious than angry. Edward was quiet for a few seconds, as if lost in thought. His voice was soft as he began to speak.

"I am here to ask for your forgiveness, Ophira."

Ophira balked momentarily, eyes wide. Out of all the things she expected Edward to say that was not one of them. A sour taste filled her mouth as she considered him, positive that he lacked the proper emotions to truly be sorry.

"Forgiveness? I'm not sure you are capable of that, Edward." Her tone was as cold as ice. The thought of Batman crashing through her window and tossing the Riddler back into Arkham crossed her mind. She found a modicum of comfort in it.

Edward grimaced and gave her a hard look. Ophira crossed her arms across her chest and stood resolute. He shook his head softly and turned away from her, frustrated that Ophira refused to play his game.

"Don't belittle me, Ophira. I wouldn't want you to forget whose finger is on the button." Edward strode back into the kitchen and began searching the cabinets. Ophira grimaced and ground her teeth in anger. She stepped into the kitchen quietly, watching Edward dish out the dinner he had made for them. Ophira silently counted the knife block behind his back, relieved to find them all present. Although if Edward had wanted her dead it probably wouldn't have been done with a knife.

"If your method of seeking forgiveness includes threats of murder then you have already proven my point." Ophira said spitefully.

"Perhaps it is not that I am incapable but unpracticed. Nothing has ever been as pressing as regaining your trust, Ophira." Edward set the plates down on the table and turned around to walk back toward her. He tucked his hands into his pockets and stood before her, an strange look upon his face. "I will get down onto my knees if it's required."

Ophira refused to give him any ground and kept her arms folded across her chest. She studied him carefully as he stood before her.

"Why? Why does it matter so much?" Ophira asked quietly. "There is nothing you can say to me that will change my mind, Edward. Not after everything that's happened. You must know that."

"Nothing?" Edward's voice was soft, eyes half lidded as he looked at her. "I know that you are not that unreasonable, Ophira. Have you forgotten our sessions at the asylum? You would have never given up on me, and I refuse to believe you will start now."

A twinge of remembrance tickled her stomach, forcing her to remember simpler times at the asylum. Before Jonathan's death. Before meeting the Riddler.

"I did not forget." Ophira whispered, a strange hollow feeling filling her chest.

"Then you must remember." He voice matched her own, quiet and urgent as he leaned forward. He gripped her upper arms with his fingers, surprisingly gently. "You must remember how I fell for you."

Ophira gasped and furrowed her brows at him. She shook her head softly, he couldn't be serious.

"Edward-"

"Please, let me finish." Edward closed his eyes. "During the first session we had together I dismissed you, I did not believe that any doctor could understand me. I did not believe that anyone could understand me. Every moron that had been sent to...fix me had been cruel or idiotic or disinterested. But then there was you, Ophira. You showed me something that I've been subject to, kindness." Ophira turned away as he spoke, an odd mixture of anger and pity stirring in her belly. Surely this was just another of his sick games, an attempt to pull himself back into her good graces.

"I am honored to know that you think so highly of me, Edward, but the things you have done...I can't forget that. I'm not sure I will be able to forgive you. Ever." She gently pulled away from his grasp and wrapped her arms around her torso for comfort.

"Ophira, I love you." The words sounded strangled and odd as if it were the first time he had ever spoken them. Ophira turned her head in shock, reeling from the statement. Edward stood behind her, brows furrowed as if he were surprised as well.

"What?" Ophira felt bile start to rise in her throat as her anger burned. _What?_ How dare you." She breathed venomously.

"I-excuse me?" Edward sputtered, brows raised incredulously. Ophira let out a pained snarl before shoving him, forcing Edward to bounce off the table behind him.

"You vile creature, how dare you?" Ophira moved to push him again but Edward caught her wrists, forcing her to his chest. She stared up at him in disgust. "First you kill one of my friends and then you force me into keeping quiet so I don't have even more blood on my hands and now you have the audacity to tell me you love me?!?"

Edward eyes narrowed, fury and pain written across his features. He released Ophira wrists and pushed her away from him as if her touch physically pained him.

"Ophira, please-"

"No, don't say another word." Ophira hissed, hatred evident in her voice.

"I implore you-"

"You are not capable of love!" Ophira yelled, tears of frustration starting to spill down her cheeks. _"You are a monster."_

She screamed as Edward grabbed one of the plates and flung it at the wall, sending a shower of porcelain shrapnel all over the apartment.

"Do not tell me what I am capable of, Ophira." His breathing was labored. Eyes lit with a cold fury. "Just like every other cretin in this city you are scared of the things you do not know. Let me assure you, Ophira, if I did not love you I would have killed you here and now." Edward stared her down as she moved to keep the table between them. Ophira glanced toward the door, estimating the time in which it would take her to escape Edward's fury. He caught her gaze, his eyes narrowing even further, as if challenging her to try.

"Try it and I will be forced to punish you." Ophira snarled at him angrily before grabbing the remaining plate and flinging it at him before racing for the door. He dodged it easily and caught her around the waist. She let out a growl and tried to kick him but her attempts were fruitless.

"I warned you, Ophira. You cannot escape me. Even if you had made it out the door how long do you believe it would have taken me to find you, hmm?" He pressed her against the table and put his hands behind her head, forcing her to bend over until her torso was against the wood. She struggled to no avail.

"I hate you, you son of a bitch." Edward chucked mirth fully behind her.

"Fine, hate me, loathe me. It does not change the way I yearn for you." He tugged down her skirt and tights, revealing the black underwear beneath. His hand grazed over the exposed edges of her ass, smirking as he heard Ophira gasp below him. He slipped a finger beneath the elastic band and pulled the material down, leaving her bottom half bare.

"Don't you dare touch me." Ophira ground out, grimacing against the table. Heat pooled between her thighs, primal desire forcing her body to betray her mind. A hard smack against her ass made her cry out in surprise.

"You are mine to do with as I please. Or have you forgotten?" His voice was low but the edge of hardness remained. He was still very much upset with Ophira for her rejection. Another smack caught the edge of her cheek, causing her to grunt beneath him.

"Unnf, you-you're sick, twisted-" Ophira tried to ignore the stirrings of arousal between her thighs but she couldn't deny excitement of being at Edward's mercy..

Smack!

"Agh! I fucking hate you." Ophira shifted, trying to move her legs but found them trapped in the tights still wrapped around her ankles. Edward pressed himself against her, forcing her pelvis to press even harder into the table, earning a strangled cry of pain.

"Mmm and I love you, Ophira. One day you will see that but today you can hate me." He pressed his forearms around her and began to rub his crotch against her bare ass. She could feel him straining against his slacks and caught the moan that formed in her throat. She refused to give him the satisfaction. "But you can't deny that you want me, you can't deny that your pussy is dripping for me. I don't need to touch you to know that." His voice was barely above a whisper as he pressed his head close to her ear. Ophira's skin erupted into goosebumps, a shudder of desire working it's way down her spine toward her hips.

"Go fuck yourself." She managed, barely remembering why she hated him so much in the tide of lust that had washed over her mind. Ophira knew that if she wanted to she could have stopped him. With but a few words, Edward would release her. But her mouth couldn't form the words. Her lust for him outweighed her hate at the moment. The promise of carnal satisfaction enthralled her.

"Why would I do that when I have you here, ass out and just begging for it. Hmm?" He ground his erection against her ass again, and this time Ophira could not stop the low moan from escaping her mouth. Edward chuckled behind her before straightening up and unzipping his slacks and kicking them off along with his briefs. He stroked himself while admiring the doctor beneath him, ass red from the spanking, curls forming a wild halo around her head.

Edward grasped her hips and pulled her back from the table, forcing her backend up while keeping her torso against the wood. She groaned as he dipped his fingers between her thighs, stroking a single digit up her lips. He chuckled as he pulled the finger back to examine the wetness coating it.

"Mmm, I do love being right."

"Fuck...you." Ophira panted, eyes closed tightly as his fingers returned to tease her vulva. Edward pulled his hand away and she whined. He smirked as he positioned his cock at her entrance.

"If you insist, my dear." He pushed himself inside, taking his time to feel her pussy stretch as the intrusion. "Oh, fuck, you are so wonderfully tight, Ophira."

"Oh, god. Oh fucking god." Ophira moaned out, wiggling her hips toward him in an effort to be completely filled by him. His hands left her hips to press her sweater up, revealing her lower back. His fingers danced over her sides before wrapping themselves around her and gripping tight.

Edward rocked his hips excruciatingly slow, forcing Ophira to try to ride him from below.

"So eager, Ophira." He dug his fingers into her side and braced himself before thrusting hard. Ophira let out a cry as her hip banged against the table. Edward did not give her time to adjust before plunging forward again.

"Agh, Jesus... _fuck_..." Ophira growled against the table, body sending signals of both pain and pleasure as Edward fucked her from behind. He grunted from the effort before grasping a handful of Ophira's hair and pulling. Her torso was lifted off the table, a strangled cry leaving her mouth. She put her hands at her sides, planting them on the wood to steady herself as Edward forced her back to arch.

The furious rhythm of his hips would no doubt leave bruises but Ophira couldn't think of anything other than heat between her legs. Her arms wobbled as her body struggled to keep upright under his tight grasp. She shuddered as Edward found the perfect angle, moans falling from her lips at every thrust.

"Mmm, are you going to cum for me? Hmm?" He moved his other hand around her throat, pressing at the arteries there, momentarily cutting blood supply to her brain. Light headed and utterly at his mercy Ophira whimpered, words too difficult to find.

"Cum for me, my love." He cooed softly, voice hoarse as he thrusted deeper, carefully regulating the blood flow to her brain to keep her just at the point of lucidity. Ophira shook dangerously and Edward released her hair, and swung his arm beneath her chest to keep her steady as he drew her closer to the edge.

"Ung, you...mphf...bastard... _oh._ " Edward pressed against her throat harder, once again repeating his order for her to come undone. A few more thrusts were all Ophira could bear before she let out a shallow cry, walls clenching around him. Her toes curled in the tights would around them, legs shaking beneath her.

"Mmm, such a good girl." Edward closed his eyes as he fucked her spasming pussy, releasing her throat to steady himself against the table. He let her come down from her peak before stepping back and pulling Ophira off the table. She let out a grunt as he forced her to her knees below him, cock red and slick with a mixture of her wetness and precum. Ophira looked up at him somewhat meekly before catching his expectant gaze. She took the head into her mouth hesitantly before running her tongue across his slit, tasting the salty liquid that clung to her tongue.

A warm pressure lit up the back of her head before Ophira realized that Edward was going to guide her down onto his cock. She licked her lips before relaxing her jaw and allowing him to press her forward. He was nearly half buried in her mouth before she sputtered, gasping around his cock as she quelled a gag. Ophira tried to pull her head back but Edward held her firm, forcing her to try to relax her throat to allow his cock forward.

"No, no, you have to learn, Ophira." He gently chastised from above her, she glanced upward catching sight of his signature smirk. She glared at him and pulled her lips back to let her teeth gently scrap against his cock. Edward fisted his hand around a handful of her hair, holding it so tightly it made her eyes water.

"Don't you dare." She narrowed her eyes even more but pulled her teeth back beneath her lips before allowing him to push his cock further into her mouth, the tip prodding at her tonsils. Ophira took a deep breath before attempting to swallow around him, forcing a sharp inhale from Edward.

"Such..." He pressed himself further down her throat- "...a..." -until her nose was pressed against his pubis, "...good..." Holding her there until she stared up at him desperately, "...girl."

He pulled her head back and allowing Ophira to suck in a much needed breath. She coughed and wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks before Edward pressed her forward once more.

"Again." He said simply, this time giving her even less time to adjust. They repeated the action several more times, each one less gentle before Edward placed both hands on the back of Ophira's head. He rocked his hips against her mouth, Ophira desperately trying to relax her throat enough to allow him access. Spit began to drip off of his cock as he fucked her mouth, grunting with effort as he grew closer. His cock twitched on her tongue and he suddenly slowed, pressing Ophira's nose into his pubis as he forced every inch of himself into her mouth and throat. She swallowed around him, throat massaged the tip of his cock until she felt him shudder above her. Thick ropes of his cum hit the back of her throat, the salty tang only barely registering on her tongue. Ophira swallowed once more around his softening cock, catching every bit of his seed in her throat.

His hand lifted from her head, allowing his cock to drop from her mouth. Ophira's breathing was ragged as she attempted to recover from the lack of oxygen. Edward considered her for a few seconds, enjoying the redness of her cheeks and the mess that had become of her hair. All because of him. 

She did not meet his eyes as she redressed and stepped around him to wash her mouth in the kitchen sink. He followed suit, pulling the slacks around his hips before meeting her there. He looked to the side of the sink, seeing the abandoned pasta.

"We let dinner get cold, what a shame." He prodded a noodle with a stay fork and popped it into his mouth. Ophira lifted her head from the sink and looked at the pasta with a certain disdain. Edward shrugged and removed another plate from her cabinet and fixed a plate before tossing it into the microwave besides the fridge.

"You're not leaving, are you?" Ophira asked from behind him, voice resigned. Edward turned to her, taking in how small and defeated she seemed. He frowned before shaking his head, watching her sigh and wrap her arms around herself. He didn't call after her as she slowly made her way to the bedroom, closing the door with a small click.


	23. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The mirror before her was broken, a great spiderweb blossoming from the impact Ophira had just made with her fist. Blood trickled down her hand, the glass imbedded into her knuckles but she didn't move to ease the pain nor stop the crimson liquid from slithering toward her wrist.

Ophira stared at what remained of the mirror, seeing only what remained of herself. A sickly paleness had settled over her visage making the rings beneath her eyes prominent. She looked tired, defeated, like she hadn't slept in days, weeks even.

"What the fuck..." She whispered, clenching her injured fist, barely feeling the glass dig deeper. "What's happened to me?"

She swallowed thickly, wincing in pain as the previous night's activities caught up with her. Ophira could see the deep purple bruises near her hip, a gift from being pressed against her own kitchen table. Bile rose in her throat, the thick hot shame from allowing Edward to touch her was almost enough to make her vomit. The shame was nearly suffocating as she remembered how much she had enjoyed it. Enjoyed the feeling of being controlled, being demeaned.

"You're so fucking stupid." She whispered, bending over to turn the tap on. The cold water stung as it flowed over her hand. Carefully Ophira began to tweeze the tiny bits of glass out of her wounds.

...................

"What happened to your hand?" Officer Wicker said having nearly passed Ophira in the hallway before spotting the bandage. Ophira waived her uninjured hand dismissively.

"Broke a wine glass, just a bit clumsy." The officer stared at the injury as if he wanted to say something else but nodded before hurrying down the hallway without another word. Ophira stared after him, watching him disappear down the stairs before entering her office.

She sat in her chair with a wince before plucking the first case file from the stack. The work was all encompassing and Ophira reveled in it. The sun had set by the time she finished the stack, her empty stomach protesting the lack of a break. She took a deep breath and locked up for the day and exited the GCPD into the nightly rain that never seemed to take a break.

The thought of going straight home felt oddly unsettling. Edward had darkened her one place of peace and she couldn't bear the face it at the moment. Before long she found herself in a booth at Pauli's Diner, a beer sitting half finished before her. She had just taken a bite of her turkey club when a familiar voice called her name. Aaron Cash. A brief flicker of panic passed through Ophira as he slipped into the booth across the table from her.

"Well, Mr. Cash. We meet again." Ophira said cordially, adding a soft smile to take a bit of an edge off the words.

"Ophira, sorry to disrupt your dinner." Aaron said hurriedly, he had an anxious look about him. Ophira took a slow sip of her beer to calm her nerves before looking at him expectantly. She didn't know if this had anything to do with their conversation from yesterday but she had a fear that it did.

"Why are you here?" She asked calmly but stared at him with steely eyes. Aaron glanced around the diner before leaning forward.

"New developments in Mr. Cho's death. One of the guards confessed to being threatened into helping an inmate murder Jonathan." Ophira's breath caught in her throat.

"Which guard?" Ophira hissed.

"Frank Boles, but here's the thing, he won't say which inmate it was. Says he's still in danger, but he mentioned your name. Said it was one of your patients." Aaron's hook bumped against the table with a clatter as he gestured toward her.

"Aaron-"

"I think you're in danger, Ophira!" Aaron whispered harshly, "I just found out, I tried your apartment earlier but you weren't there. Luckily I was driving by when I saw you in the window. You need to get out of the city."

"Aaron, stop-" Ophira protested, her heart thumping against her chest so hard that she was sure the whole restaurant could hear.

"It's Nygma. I know it is. Only he could be smart enough to pull something like that off."

Ophira's eyes closed tightly. She could tell Cash everything. He already suspected Edward and Ophira knew where he was, she could put an end to it all. She just had to say the words. But then Billy would die, his brains decorating the walls before the police could even reach Edward.

"Aaron-"

"Hello Dr. Zane, Mr. Cash." JT Wicker stood at the edge of their table, his badge glinting in the orange light of the neon signs decorating the diner. Ophira started, catching her breath before smiling weakly at him. Aaron simply nodded in greeting, his lips pursed in a very fine line across his face.

"Dr. Zane, you're needed back at the station. A mentally ill inmate is ransacking the building, we need someone to talk to him before Bullock shoots him. You seem to have experience in this department." Officer Wicker stared at Ophira with a steely gaze. She quirked a brow and glanced at Aaron. He also looked somewhat startled by the request.

"Sounds like you could use me as well, Officer." Aaron offered, "I have quite a bit of experience should things get messy."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Cash." Wicker said, his voice hard. "Just the doctor." He did not break eye contact with her and seemed to be edging to the side of the booth, blocking her exit.

Ophira suddenly understood. There was no emergency at the station. He was her keeper. Another pair of Edward's eyes. Always watching and always listening. She should have seen it earlier. Wicker had always been around. He had been the one outside her office the day before, undoubtedly listening to her first conversation with Cash. And now he was here, separating her from any opportunity to take Edward down. There was no escape.

She took her head in hands briefly and took a deep breath. Ophira could feel Cash and Wicker's stares, like ice in her veins. When she raised her head again her gaze was resolute, she looked to Wicker and nodded. Cash began sputtering in disagreement but it was obvious that he did not want Wicker to know anything about what they had just spoken about. Ophira simply reached across the table and took his good hand into her palms, squeezed it and rose to leave.

Cash stared after them dumbfounded as Wicker escorted Ophira to his waiting patrol car. She slid into the backseat where she could no longer feel Aaron's eyes and let one tear fall.

.....................

Wicker did not speak one word during the drive, his face was impassive as Ophira stared at him from the back. It had obvious since the moment she entered the car that they were not going back to the GCPD but rather to her apartment. She hoped against hope that Edward would not be there.

The officer escorted her up the stairs (the elevator was broken once again) and watched diligently as she unlocked the door. The apartment was doused in blackness and as she tried to reach the switch she found it to be inoperable. An acrid smell rose to her nostrils, the smell of wet metal and sulfur that made breathing almost insufferable.

"Hello my dear Ophira." Edward was near her, but as the door closed behind her the little light from the hallway dimmed until they were both blanketed in the darkness.

"Edward, what is happening?" She nearly screamed before she realized that the arms that had wrapped around her waist were his. He pressed himself against her back and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Exactly what I told you would happen, Ophira." He nuzzled his face into her neck before Ophira found herself blinded by the lights of her apartment all coming on at once. She had to blink a few times before she could see. And then she screamed.

Her living room was painted with blood and ooze. A headless body laid across her carpet, staining the taupe floor crimson. Billy was dead, completely and utterly dead.

Ophira felt her knees buckle but Edward held her upright, humming a tune into her neck. Her limbs went cold.

"No!" She choked out, clawing at his embrace. He released her gently, watching as she rushed to the sink to vomit. "No, no, no." She moaned into the basin.

"Shh. It's done now." Edward stroked her head almost lovingly as he leaned against the counter beside her. "Have you not learned from this?"

"Edward, no..." Ophira slid to the kitchen floor, hugging her knees to her chest. "How...how could you do this?" Edward sat on the floor beside her, and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I didn't do this. It was your actions that led to this, Ophira. You know that, my dear." He leaned in close to her, forehead resting against the side of her head. "You as good as pushed the button yourself by talking to Cash." He whispered, he voice heated.

"I didn't tell Cash anything!" Ophira bit out fiercely, twitching away from him. "He didn't need to die." She breathed.

Edward furrowed his brows at her and pulled away. He looked out over the dining room from his position on the floor, seeming to be lost in thought.

"Two meetings in two days and you didn't say anything?" Edward twisted his head back in her direction, a menacing snarl painting his lips. "You are lying to me." He hissed the words so menacingly that Ophira physically recoiled.

"I am not!" Ophira protested, raising her head from her knees to glare at him. "Edward, when have I ever lied to you? I didn't say a fucking thing to Cash. But I didn't need to, he already knows."

Edward's eyes widened before he shut them and waived his hand dismissively. "Cash is an utter buffoon, what he has in muscles he lacks in brain. It's a wonder he can even get out of bed in the morning." Edward raised himself to his feet and walked into the living room, seeming to be admiring his work.

Ophira let out a humorless laugh, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the counter behind her. She could feel Edward's questioning eyes on her.

"Edward, you are scared, aren't you? You have lost control of the situation and you don't know what's happening. How pathetic." Ophira couldn't bring herself to moderate her words. What did it matter anymore? The worst had happened, Billy was dead. He had nothing else on her.

"Hold your tongue, my dear." He said icily and Ophira could tell that he was much closer than he was before. She could almost feel the anger coming off of him but she couldn't stop herself from speaking.

"Cash knows you killed Jonathan and he knows it had something to do with me. It won't be long before they find you, Edward." Ophira let out a breath and smiled. "Hell, it'll probably be Batman busting down your door." She opened her eyes slowly and took in the Riddler. He was shaking from rage, eyes on fire as he stared down at her.

"They will not find me." Edward hissed contemptuously. "They will never find me. Not until I want them to."

"Edward, I found you." Ophira said simply. "Your compulsion to leave clues is your downfall. It always will be. You long for attention and I think you're starting to realize that I will never love you. How long until you lead Batman right to your doorstep in a game you will yet again lose?" Edward looked as if he could have hit Ophira, his fists clenched at his sides.

"ENOUGH." He yelled, sweeping his arms across her countertop, the porcelain dishes crashing to a ground beside her. "Enough, shut your mouth."

"When will you get tired of me, Edward?" Ophira whispered, "When does this torture come to an end?" He dropped to his knees before her, looking suddenly very frightened.

"Never. I will never tire of you." He whispered, grasping her arms as if she was keeping him afloat on a tumultuous ocean. "I love you."

Ophira simply shook her head and closed her eyes once again, finding solace that he was now the one suffering.

"You are not capable of such a thing." Ophira whispered toward the ceiling. She was suddenly exhausted, the emotional toll of the day coming to bear. A cool numbness had spread through her belly burying the pain in her heart to a dull ache. Soon she couldn't feel anything at all, even as Edward gripped her shoulders, shaking with sobs and agonized pleading. The darkness felt like freedom and Ophira let herself drown in it.

...................

The bedroom windows showed the first tendrils of dawn rising over the horizon when Ophira woke. She flung the comforter off of her, relieved to find her bed empty besides herself.

"Edward?" Ophira called out, listening for any indication that he was there. The silence was deafening. She edged out into the living room finding Billy's body gone along with a sizable section of her carpet. The blood and gore had been scrubbed from the walls, the smell of bleach still hanging heavily in the air.

Ophira took a few deep breaths before grabbing her keys. She knew her hair was a rat's nest and her clothes wrinkled but nothing could stop her from leaving the apartment. It seemed like no time had passed before she was standing before Harvey Bullock's desk. He nearly dropped his pencil when he saw the state she was in.

"Doc, you don't look so-" Ophira stopped him with a gesture of her hand.

"I would like to report a murder."

...................

"Well, we found him." James Gordon sat heavily behind his desk. Ophira had been waiting inside the office for hours before he finally returned. "Didn't even put up a fight, almost like he wasn't there."

Ophira stared down at her hands briefly before looking back at Gordon. He had leaned forward across the desk and clasped his hands together.

"He's back at Arkham, thanks to you." Gordon said quietly, his eyes full of compassion.

"Two men are dead because of me." Ophira whispered.

"That's not true. You did not kill those men, Ophira." Gordon said roughly, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. "As for Officer Wicker, he says he was threatened into working with the Riddler. The DA won't charge him. All I can do is give him unpaid suspension until he is deemed fit to return to the force." Gordon shook his head in disapproval.

"As for you, I would recommend leaving Gotham. Is there anywhere you can go?" Ophira had been thinking about that for a long time. Gotham was her home but perhaps it was time.

"I have always wanted to go to Central City."

"Then I suggest you go, I will give you a recommendation should you wish to continue your career at the CCPD." Ophira nodded and thanked Gordon before rising to leave. Her stomach dropped as she reached the doorway.

"I will have to return for the trial?" Ophira asked with sudden apprehension. Gordon pressed his lips into a firm line.

"Not if he pleads guilty." Both of them knew that was unlikely but did not speak to the notion. Ophira knew he was trying to spare her from further suffering and she appreciated that. There was still good left in the world and Gordon was a prime example of it.

"Take care of yourself, Ophira." She smiled at him tightly and nodded before leaving the office for the final time.  
..................

The river glittered in the sun as Ophira strolled down the waterfront. It was warm, pleasantly so. She angled her head up toward the sky, closing her eyes against the brightness. Central City had been kind to her, so kind that Ophira found herself in a wonderful group of friends, a great job and a possible romance with a french chef.

She even had a small terrier at the end of leash as she strolled by the river, one who had chewed through all of her socks within a week of getting him. The destruction was quaint compared to her past life and she couldn't bring herself to get upset. The little dog was her first friend and a lifeline as she transitioned from Dr. Ophira Zane to a new, more common name.

Ophira knew it was necessary in the eyes of the law to change her name. But she also knew that it wouldn't prevent him from finding her. Her peaceful days were numbered and it took everything she had to walk out her door in the morning. But she still did, everyday.

To live in fear was to not live at all, and Ophira wouldn't let him rob her of her life. Not now and not ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Frodo after the ring was destroyed. It's DONE. Anyho give me some thoughts. Might do an epilogue ~~maybe a sequel~~ if I feel the need to torture myself further. Thanks for your patience but fuck this chapter was never going to forced from me, it had to come naturally.


End file.
